Girls, Women and Poverty

Systematic discrimination against girls and women in the world’s poorest countries will prevent the United Nations from meeting its goals to reduce poverty. Girls and women were more likely to be poor, hungry, illiterate or sick than boys and men. According to Action Aid which produced the report in South Asia women are getting a shrinking share of income as the economy grows. Amid growing concern that the millennium development goals set by UN for 2015 will not be met, Action Aid said a focus on women was vital to put the international community back on track.

Ten million more girls than boys miss out on primary school while African women accounted for 75% of all young people living with the human immunodeficiency virus /AIDS. The aim of universal primary education was being hampered in Africa by the 40 billion hours spent each year by women and children collecting water-equivalent to a year’s labor for the entire workforce of France.