"Gender inequality holds back the growth of individuals, the development of countries and the evolution of societies, to the disadvantage of both men and women," claims the State of World Population Report 2000, released this week from the United Nations Population Fund.
The report makes the case for bringing gender inequality "fully into the light" and treating it as a matter of urgency as it affects both human rights and development priorities. The report explains that "gender issues" are not the same as "women's issues" and that understanding gender means "understanding opportunities, constraints and the impact of change as they affect both women and men."
Dr Nafis Sadik, executive director of the United Nations Population Fund, focused on this issue rather than the increase in the global population at the launch of the report. She said: "The population issue will not be solved if we do not meet the problems of individuals." If women had the power, for example, to make decisions about their own sexual activity and its consequences, 80 million unwanted pregnancies, 20 million unsafe abortions, and 500 000 maternal deaths could be avoided each year.
Dr Sadik said that the amount given by many donor countries to the reproduction services in developing countries was "inadequate" and singled out the US government for significantly decreasing its donations. She also said that developing countries were "pulling their weight better than donor countries" because they saw "the need to invest in population growth."
The report can be accessed at: http://www.unfpa.org/swp/swpmain.htmwww.unfpa.org/swp/swpmain.htm
