Gender Bias Increases Poverty

By Rori Picker, Associate for Interfaith Relations, RFP-USA

Can inequality between men and women lead to health problems for children and poverty for the entire family? According to a new study, it most certainly does.

The study released by UNICEF today, entitled “Women and Children: The Double Dividend of Gender Equality,” asserts that there would be 13 million fewer malnourished children in South Asia if women had an equal say in the family.

UNICEF surveyed family decision-making in 30 countries around the world and found that whoever brought in the greater share of household income and assets decided whether those resources would be used to meet family needs. In situations where men controlled the household, less money was spent on health care and food for the family, resulting in undernourished children and an increased number of health problems.

The study also found that women worked longer hours than men in the developing world. In many families where women worked, daughters were taken out of school to perform household chores and take care of the younger children, continuing the cycle of undereducated females with inferior employment opportunities.

We must remember that these dialogues cannot exist independently. We cannot discuss peace without discussing poverty. We cannot discuss poverty without discussing equality. And we cannot discuss any of it without committing ourselves to taking concrete steps to improve opportunities for women around the world.

Women must enter this discussion. Our children depend on it.