UNICEF Report: The State of the World’s Children 2007 by UNICEF / BBC World News 4:03pm 11th Dec, 2006   11 December 2006    Gender Equality produces a ‘Double Dividend’ that benefits both Women and Children, UNICEF Reports.    Eliminating gender discrimination and empowering women will have a profound and positive impact on the survival and well-being of children, according to a new UNICEF report issued on UNICEF’s 60th anniversary.    Gender equality produces the “double dividend” of benefiting both women and children and is pivotal to the health and development of families, communities and nations, according to The State of the World’s Children 2007.    “Gender equality and the well-being of children are inextricably linked,” said UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman. “When women are empowered to lead full and productive lives, children and families prosper.”    According to the report, women’s influence in key decisions improves the lives of women and has a positive effect on child well-being and development.    Despite progress in women’s status in recent decades, the lives of millions of girls and women are overshadowed by discrimination, disempowerment and poverty. Girls and women are disproportionately affected by HIV/AIDS and women in most places earn less than men for equal work. Millions of women throughout the world are subject to physical and sexual violence, with little recourse to justice. As a result of discrimination, girls are less likely to attend school; nearly one out of every five girls who enroll in primary school in developing countries does not complete a primary education. Education levels among women, says the report, correlate with improved outcomes for child survival and development.    “If we care about the health and well-being of children today and into the future, we must work now to ensure that women and girls have equal opportunities to be educated, to participate in government, to achieve economic self-sufficiency and to be protected from violence and discrimination,” Veneman said.    A roadmap to gender equality    The State of the World’s Children 2007 presents seven key interventions to enhance gender equality:    Education: Key actions include abolishing school fees and encouraging parents and communities to invest in girls’ education.    Financing: Little recognition has been given to the resources needed to meet the goal of gender equality and women’s empowerment. Investment to eliminate gender discrimination must be integrated into government budgets and plans.    Legislation: National legislation in property law and inheritance rights should ensure a level playing field for women, alongside measures to prevent and respond to domestic violence and gender-based violence in conflict.    Legislative quotas: Quotas are a proven method of ensuring women’s participation in politics. Of the 20 countries with the most women in parliament, 17 use some form of quota system.    Women empowering women: Grassroots women’s movements have been vocal champions for equality and empowerment and should be involved in the early stages of policy formation so that programmes are designed with the needs of women and children in mind.    Engaging men and boys: Educating men and boys, as well as women and girls, on the benefits of gender equality and joint decision-making can help nurture more cooperative relationships.    Improved research and data: Better data and analysis are critical, especially on maternal mortality, violence against women, education, employment, wages, unpaid work and time use, and participation in politics.    Closed out of household decisions    The report finds that women do not always have an equal say in crucial household decisions, which can have negative consequences for children. In only 10 of 30 developing countries surveyed did 50 per cent or more of women participate in all household decisions, including those regarding major household spending, their own health care or their visits to friends or relatives outside the home.    Women’s ability to control their own lives and make decisions that affect their families is closely linked to child nutrition, health and education, the report states. In families where women are key decision-makers, the proportion of resources devoted to children is far greater than those in which women have a less decisive role.    A study by the International Food Policy Research Institute found that if men and women had equal influence in decision-making, the incidence of underweight children under three years old in South Asia would fall by up to 13 percentage points, resulting in 13.4 million fewer undernourished children in the region. In sub-Saharan Africa, an additional 1.7 million children would be adequately nourished.    Gender gap in earnings    As income in the hands of women can reap benefits for children, gender gaps in earnings can decrease or limit the resources available to meet children’s rights, such as health care, adequate nutrition and education.    Estimates based on wage differentials and participation in the labour force suggest that women’s estimated earned income is around 30 per cent of men’s in countries surveyed in the Middle East and North Africa, around 40 per cent in Latin America and South Asia, 50 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa and around 60 per cent in CEE/CIS, East Asia and industrialized countries, the report states.    The political sphere    Women’s increased involvement in political systems can also have a positive impact on the well-being of children. Growing evidence from industrialized and developing countries alike suggests that women in legislative bodies have been especially effective advocates for children. Yet as of July 2006, women accounted for just under 17 per cent of all parliamentarians worldwide.    Welcoming the report, Anders B. Johnsson, Secretary-General of the Inter-parliamentary Union said: "There are clear links between the political representation of women and the well-being of children. The State of the World''s Children report, which is a global reference on all issues to children and a vital resource for us all, demonstrates this fundamental point in more ways than one."    Key to strong societies    The benefits of gender equality go beyond their direct impact on children. The State of the World’s Children shows how promoting gender equality and empowering women – Millennium Development Goal number 3 – will propel all of the other goals, from reducing poverty and hunger to saving children’s lives, improving maternal health, ensuring universal education, combating HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases, and ensuring environmental sustainability.    11 December 2006 (BBC News)    Inequality at home between men and women leads to poorer health for the children and greater poverty for the family, says a new study.    The UN children"s agency, Unicef, found that where women are excluded from family decisions, children are more likely to be under-nourished.    There would be 13 million fewer malnourished children in South Asia if women had an equal say in the family, Unicef said.    Unicef surveyed family decision-making in 30 countries around the world.    Their chief finding is that equality between men and women is essential to lowering poverty and improving health, especially of children, in developing countries.    The conclusions are contained in the agency"s State of the World"s Children 2007 report.    "There is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women," said UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.    "Discrimination against women of all ages deprives the world"s children - all of them, not just the half who are girls - of the chance to reach their potential."    The report points to a greater lack of opportunities for girls and women in education and employment that contributes to disempowerment and poverty.    Where men control the household, less money is spent on health care and food for the family, resulting in poorer health for the children.    For example, in Ivory Coast and Ghana, it was discovered that when women"s income increased for whatever reason, they spent the extra on more food for the family, whereas an increase in men"s income made no significant difference, Unicef said.    In many households across the developing world, Unicef found that women are excluded from health-related decisions.    Children in these families are more likely to be undernourished as the family spends less on food, Unicef said.    Gender equality in family decision-making in South Asia would lead to 13.4m fewer malnourished children, a 13% reduction, the report said.    Women also work longer hours than men across the developing world, spending much of their time, even when in paid employment, on household chores, the report said.    In many families where women work, daughters are taken out of school to perform domestic chores and take care of other children.    Increasing employment and income-earning opportunities for women would increase women"s household power, Unicef said.    For example, the agency found that whoever has the greater share of household income and assets decides whether those resources will be used to meet family needs.    The status of women in the family is paralleled in the political world, Unicef said.    Women"s involvement in government tends to result in policies that are focused on children and families.    But, the report said, women are under-represented in legislatures around the world due to lower levels of education, social attitudes and their greater work burden. 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