Main Messages December 2011

EQUAL?

In the last 20 years, university enrollments for women grew 7-fold … and in 2009 women are 51% of college students… Equal? …. and yet challenges remain: 35 million girls are still out of school tod ay many of them in Sub-Saharan Africa or among minority populations Large gender differences in field of study (education streaming)

In low & middle income countries life expectancy among women has increased by 20 years since 1960 …. And yet, relative to boys and men, almost 4 million women die too early each year in the developing world compared with rich countries Equal?

Excess female mortality in the developing world % 36.8% 24.7% 15.9% 31.5% 34.7% 1990:4.082 million 2008:3.882 million

In the last 30 years, 552 million joined the labor force and today, 4 out of 10 workers globally are women Equal?

In the last 30 years, 552 million women joined the labor force + 7% + 16% + 5% + 2% + 4% + 2% 0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80% East Asia & Pacific Europe & Central Asia High income Latin America & Caribbean Middle East & North Africa South Asia Sub-Saharan Africa World female labor force participation rate - 7% - 3%

In the last 30 years, 552 million joined the labor force and today, 4 out of 10 workers globally are women Equal?... And yet, on average, for every dollar a man makes, a woman earns 80 cents

Mexico 80¢Germany 62¢ Bangladesh 12¢ Nigeria 60¢ For every dollar a man makes, a woman earns… Malawi 90¢ Sri Lanka 50¢

All but 6 countries have ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) Equal? … and yet 510 million women will be abused by their partner in their lifetime

Japan (Yokohama) Brazil (Sao Paulo) Bangladesh (Matlab) Ethiopia (Butajira) percentage women abused Domestic violence: percentage women abused 13% 27% 42% 49% 246,000 women

All but 6 countries have ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) Equal? … and only 19% of parliamentarians in the world are women

What does the WDR do? The Report asks 3 questions: (1) Do these inequalities matter? (2) Why do they persist? (3) What do we do to eliminate them?

(1) Do these inequalities matter? Is the right thing to do…... is the smart thing to do

economic costs … equalizing access to inputs such as land and fertilizers would increase agricultural output by … eliminating employment segregation would increase labor productivity by as much as Inequality has a cost 2-4% 3-25%

Gender gaps in agriculture disappear when access to productive inputs is equalized

shortchanges the next generation … women’s control of household earnings changes spending in favor of children … educated women invest more in children … witnesses of violence tend to become abusers Inequality has a cost

and leads to suboptimal institutions and policies … In India, women in political office increased public investments in water … In the US, voting rights from women reduced infant mortality by Inequality has a cost 8-15%

… these problems do not go away with growth … and costs will grow bigger in a globalized world …and the cost is growing

(2) Why do gaps persist? Underlying causes of gender inequality HOUSEHOLDS FORMAL INSTITUTIONS MARKETS ENDOWMENTS ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES AGENCY INFORMAL INSTITUTIONS policies Growth Gender Equality

No Progress: Economic Opportunities HOUSEHOLDS MARKETS AGENCY INFORMAL INSTITUTIONS ENDOWMENTS FORMAL INSTITUTIONS FORMAL INSTITUTIONS Biased law/regulations, and limited infrastructure MARKETS Differential access to labor/credit/land markets, and networks INFORMAL INSTITUTIONS Social norms on care/market work ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES HOUSEHOLDS Differential allocation time/resources Growth Gender Equality

… gaps persist in the distribution of care tasks independent of market work and earning Household maintenance Care of members of the household Persistent gender differences in house and care responsibilities

(3) What do we do to eliminate these gaps? Focus on gaps that: do not disappear with growth and matter most for development  Gender gaps in human endowments  Earnings and productivity gaps  Gender differences in voice and agency  The reproduction of gender inequality over time Target determinants of gender inequality

Reducing excess female mortality In infancy, priority is clean water and sanitation – Requires large investments in public health systems and improved service delivery For reproductive years, priority is better maternal health services… – Requires public investments, political will and greater client responsiveness..and widespread HIV/AIDS treatment and prevention services and safety nets to deal with income shocks

Expanding access to economic opportunities (I) Alleviating time constraints requires: Infrastructure improvements (water, electricity, transport) and new (ICT) technology Affordable child care (subsidies, public provision, rural and informal women) Institutional and other changes aimed at shifting norms/responsibilities around housework Increasing access to land and credit requires: Legal reforms where women’s property rights are restricted Expansion of access to formal credit (beyond microfinance), combined with training

Expanding access to economic opportunities (II) Reduce discrimination in labor markets Increase women’s participation in male occupations/sectors Subsidies + training Affirmative action Strengthen women’s networks Eliminate institutional barriers Correcting gender biases in service delivery Reforming labor laws that treat men/women differently

New trends  Trade, FDI and Information and Communication Technology (ICT)  Expanded access to economic opportunities (jobs and access to markets)  Stronger incentives for gender reform  Faster shifts in gender norms Harnessing new trends requires:  Removing existing constraints (time, productive inputs, market and institutional failures)  Stronger partnerships with private sector  Access to finance and ICT  Access to international markets Expanding access to economic opportunities (III)

Enhancing women’s voice in fertility decisions requires: Increasing women’s decision-making power Improving provision and quality of reproductive health services Using media to increase awareness and shift norms Shrinking gender gaps in voice and agency (I)

Increasing social and political participation requires: Increasing education, training and skill development Changing beliefs about leadership – Quotas – Role models Strengthening social movements – and other ways of exercising (social) voice Shrinking gender gaps in voice and agency (II)

Building human and social capital for girls Supporting school to work transition Building aspirations and agency for girls and boys Preventing risky behavior Limiting the reproduction of gender inequalities across generations

Fighting resistance/building momentum: Build coalitions (women’s groups can be powerful part but also need to include men) Leverage private sector to build the ‘business case’ for gender equality Take advantage of “windows of opportunity” Multiple paths to reform: Balance “incremental” and “transformative” reforms How to effectively enable sustainable gender reform?

Global action complementary to national action and policies Focus on four priority areas plus one cross-cutting aspect -- supporting evidence-based public action through better data and improved knowledge Three types of activities: Providing financial support Clean water and sanitation, maternal mortality, HIV/AIDS treatment Fostering innovation and learning Providing child care, investing in rural women, leveraging technology to access markets, improving access to justice Leveraging effective partnerships Bilateral and multilateral donors, private sector, UN Women Global agenda for greater gender equality

EQUAL !