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Gender and Development. Safaa El-Kogali 8-9 December, 2005 Rabat Morocco. What do we mean by “gender equality”?. Gender refers to … socially constructed roles and socially learned behaviors and expectations associated with females and males.
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Gender and Development Safaa El-Kogali 8-9 December, 2005 Rabat Morocco
Genderrefers to … • socially constructed roles and socially learned behaviors and expectations associated with females and males. • Women and men are different biologically, but all cultures interpret and elaborate their innate biological differences into a set of social expectations about what behaviors and activities are appropriate, and what rights, resources, and power they possess.
Gender Equality is defined here in terms of: • equality under the law • equality of opportunity (including in access to human capital and other productive resources that enable opportunity and equality of rewards for work) • and equality of “voice” (the ability to influence and contribute to the development process).
What is the state of gender equality at the beginning of the 21st Century?
Despite progress, gender inequalities are pervasive worldwide and exist across many dimensions of life.
Gender equality has tended to increase over time –except in political participation Low Income Countries Middle Income Countries High Income Countries 1.2 1.0 0.8 0.6 Female/male ratio 0.4 0.2 0.0 1970 1980 1990 1995 1970 1980 1990 1995 1970 1980 1990 1995 Life expectancy Primary enrollment Secondary enrollment Parliamentary representation
In no region are women and men equal in legal, social and economic rights High Equality 4 3 Index of gender equality (1-4) 2 Low Equality 1 East Asia Eastern Latin Middle South Asia Sub- OECD Europe and America East/North Saharan Central Asia and the Africa Africa Carribean
Women still earn less than men – even when they have similar education and work experience Female/male Gender Percent of gap earnings ratio gap unexplained Developed 0.77 0.23 80.4% countries Developing 0.73 0.27 82.2% countries
Women are vastly underrepresented in parliaments 25 20 15 Women's share of parliamentary seats, 1995 (percent) 10 5 0 East Asia/ Europe/ Latin Middle East/ Sub-Saharan OECD South Pacific Central Asia America/ North Africa Africa Asia Caribbean
Gender disparities tend to be greater • among low-income than high-income countries • among low-income than high-income households
In some contexts there are increasing concerns about male gender issues • Educational attainment in the Caribbean, Latin America • Rising male mortality in the Former Soviet Union • See also, “The Trouble with Men” The Economist (September, 1996)
Societies that discriminate on the basis of gender pay a significant price – higher poverty, lower quality of life slower economic growth weaker governance
The future generation benefits from greater gender equality • In Sub-Saharan Africa, if men and women had equal schooling, child mortality would have been 25% lower in 1990. • In India, children of literate mothers spend two more hours/day studying than children of illiterate mothers. • In Brazil, income in the hands of mothers has four times the impact on children’s height-for-age as income in the hands of fathers.
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 b 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 HIV infection rates are higher in countries where gender gaps in literacy are wider 35 0 20 0 0 0 0 0 Urban adult HIV prevalence 0 0 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 .01 0 10 20 30 Male-female literacy gap
Gender equality increases productivity and economic growth • In Sub-Saharan Africa greater gender equality in farm inputs could increase output by up to 20 percent • In Bangladesh, micro-credit to women has a larger impact on household income than the same micro-credit to men • Greater gender equality in schooling would have increased growth in South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa, and the Middle East and North Africa from 1960-90
If women and men had more equal schooling, incomes would grow faster 4 3 Average annual growth in per capita GNP, 1960-1992 (percent) 2 Predicted 1 Actual 0 Sub-Saharan Africa South Asia Middle East/ North Africa
Where women and men have more equal rights, governments are less corrupt 10 9 8 7 6 Index of corruption 5 4 3 2 1 0 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 Women's economic and social rights
Policy approaches to promoting gender equality and development
A three-part strategy to promote gender equality: Reform institutions to provide equal rights and equal opportunities for women and men Foster economic development to strengthen incentives for more equal resources Take active measures to redress persistent disparities in command of resources and political voice
Secondary Education, 1995 1.05 0.99 1.00 0.96 0.86 Female-to-Male Enrollment Ratio 0.00 High High Equality Low Low Equality Income in Rights Income in Rights
Representation in Parliament, 1995 1.00 Female-to-male ratio 0.19 0.11 0.07 0.06 0.00 High High Equality Low Low Equality Income in Rights Income in Rights
A three-part strategy to promote gender equality: Reform institutions to provide equal rights and equal opportunities for women and men Foster economic development to strengthen incentives for more equal resources Take active measures to redress persistent disparities in command of resources and political voice
There is a critical role for active measures that Increase access to resources and services Reduce the costs to women of their household roles Establish gender-appropriate social protection Strengthen political voice and participation
Potable water within 400m Woodlots within 30 mins walk Investments in water and fuel infrastructure significantly reduce time on collection activities Potential Average Annual Time Savings 600 400 Annual time savings (hours per household) 200 0 Lusaka Rural Kaya Mbale Kasama* Dedougou* (Zambia) (Burkina Faso) (Uganda) (Zambia) (Burkina Faso) Note: *Kasama and Dedougou are already within the 400m target.
Male own pension Female own+ survivor's pension Female own or survivor's pension Female own pension (retire age 65) Female own pension adjusted by MPG Female own pension (retire age 60) Design matters for gender equality in pension benefits Pension income for average workers with incomplete primary education (female/male ratio in parenthesis) (0.89) (0.60) Female pension benefits as a proportion of male benefits (0.43) (0.35) (0.29) 0 20 40 60 80 100 120 Pesos (thousands)
Taking gender considerations into account in policy and program design can promote gender equality …… and enhance policy effectiveness.