This page is background information, last updated in May 2002 and still available for reference. For the latest on the Special Session on Children, please go to the Special Session index.

Press kit

Issues & Information
Gender discrimination

Women and girls, fully half of the world’s population, are a remarkable force for change, growth and development. But, far too often, in far too many societies, they are denied the equality, status, power and knowledge that are their birthright. When women and girls claim their rights and stand as equals with men and boys in their homes, communities and in society, the world gains. Discrimination against women and girls is far-reaching and entrenched – at work, in schools, in courts, in worship and in their own homes. Such discrimination violates their human rights and undermines their children’s prospects.

Nearly two out of three illiterate adults are women. And the gap between the enrolment rates of boys and girls in primary school still persists in many countries. Without the full and equal access of girls and women to education, it will be impossible to fulfil their rights and to achieve the goal of Education For All. Education is a singularly wise and fruitful investment for societies to make, and this is particularly so when girls are educated. Educated girls are more likely to have better-educated and healthier children and to make economic contributions to their families and societies. They are equipped to make safe choices, including protecting themselves from HIV/AIDS, and to contribute to social development.

Every minute, a woman dies as a result of pregnancy and childbirth a minute, – over half a million each year. Most of these are avoidable deaths that result from poor health and nutrition during pregnancy or inadequate care during delivery. Another 15 million women a year develop long-term disabilities as a result of pregnancy and childbirth, a staggeringly high toll.

Women in countries with both high fertility and high maternal mortality run the highest ‘lifetime risk’ of dying from maternal causes. A woman in sub-Saharan Africa faces a 1-in-13 lifetime risk of dying from maternal causes, compared with 1-in-4,100 in industrialized countries. Clearly, in Africa, as well as in parts of Asia and the Middle East, women are literally risking death to give life.

Infants of poorly nourished or sick mothers are at a far higher risk of dying or of suffering from learning difficulties, spina bifida and brain damage.

Gender -based violence is a universal reality -based violence is a universal reality. Violence against girls and women takes myriad forms, including sex-selective foeticide and female infanticide, female genital mutilation, child marriage, ‘honour’ killings, domestic violence, sexual slavery and the use of rape as a weapon of war. Some violations, such as domestic violence, are horrifically common: Every third woman and girl worldwide will be beaten or sexually abused in her lifetime. This violence is unacceptable – and takes an unacceptably high toll on women, their families and society. It violates a woman’s human right to bodily integrity and has dire, and sometimes fatal, physical and psychological consequences. Children who witness domestic or other violence are more likely to fall sick, to do poorly in school and to themselves become perpetrators of violence.

HIV/AIDS is deeply rooted in gender discrimination. Among 15- to 24-year-olds in developing countries, twice as many females as males are contracting HIV. Girls who are not educated miss out on learning the life skills that could empower them to refuse unwanted or unsafe sex. Biased social norms prevent girls and women from learning about sexual health issues. And because impoverished adolescent girls and young women lack employment opportunities, they are vulnerable to being enticed or coerced into sex for money, increasing their risk of infection.

Progress on meeting the goals of the World Summit for Children

Of the 27 goals set at the 1990 World Summit for Children, no less than 11 are directly related to gender. Goals related to gender and adult literacy are discussed in the fact sheet on ‘Education’ , those related to maternal mortality and low birthweight in the ‘Early Childhood Development’ fact sheet and those related to neonatal tetanus in the ‘Immunization Plus’ fact sheet. Other goals include:

Breastfeeding: The 1990 goal was empowerment of all women to breastfeed their children exclusively for four to six months and to continue breastfeeding with complementary food into a child’s second year. The rate of breastfeeding increased by 4 percentage points over the decade. Only half of all infants are exclusively breastfed.

Family planning: The 1990 goal was for all couples to have access to information and services that would enable them to prevent pregnancies that are too early, too closely spaced, too late or too many. About two thirds of the world’s women of reproductive age who are married or in union are now using a contraceptive method.

Anaemia: The 1990 goal was to reduce iron deficiency anaemia in women to one third of 1990 levels. Data on progress in reducing anaemia are limited, but it is believed there has been virtually no progress on this goal.

Childbirth care: The 1990 goal was to ensure that all pregnant women have access to prenatal care, trained birth attendants and referral facilities for high-risk pregnancies and obstetric emergencies. Except in sub-Saharan Africa, significant gains were made in raising the proportion of women receiving antenatal care or having a skilled health worker deliver their babies, although not all countries have shared equally in such improvements.

Unfinished agenda: End the disadvantages suffered by girls and women

For promoting the rights of girls and women, data disaggregated by gender are a must. In every country and at every level, policies, budgets and plans for providing services require data that are disaggregated by gender. Such data allow planners to monitor progress on gender equality and to promote equal access by girls and women to basic services.

The world must act on the powerful framework for action that already exists. The Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women provide the framework needed to tackle the entrenched discrimination against girls and women. The goals set at the 1990 World Summit for Children, with their time-bound and measurable targets in areas crucial to achieving gender equality, are an important part of this framework. In line with these goals and international standards, governments must reform laws, customary practices and attitudes towards girls and women and must also establish mechanisms to realize their rights.

To eliminate such deeply rooted discrimination requires deterination, sensitivity and imagination. Legal reforms, ensuring equal access to basic social services, equal female representation in decision-making positions and action against those who violate the rights of girls and women are key steps in remedying gender inequality. This effort demands the active leadership of political, religious and community leaders worldwide.