On Saturday 8 March International Women's Day was celebrated around the world, offering the opportunity to assess the global situation on gender equality. At present, statistics show that women continue to be under-invested across a range of areas.
In low and middle income countries 70% of the world's poorest individuals are women and girls. Girls are three times more likely to be malnourished than boys and almost two-thirds of the world's illiterate population are women. 72 million girls of primary and secondary school age are not currently in school.
Investing in the health education and economic empowerment of women worldwide plays a vital role to meet MDG 3 on gender equality. Girls who attend school are more likely to marry later, have fewer children, and lead economically productive lives. Each year of a mother's schooling reduces the probability of infant mortality by 5-10 percent. With every 1 percent increase in women's enrollment in secondary school, a country's GDP grows by 0.3 percent. Investing in women offers the chance to capitalize in healthier, better educated and a more economically stable world.
Click on the links below to download the following gender themed education and health resources:
