Child Well-being and Gender Inequality

From Wikiprogress.org

About Gender Inequality

There is extensive evidence from a range of countries that societies with gender discrimination pay a significant price in terms of progress. In particular, costs of gender inequality include higher poverty and lower quality of life, slower GDP growth and development, and weaker governance. The costs of gender inequality are particularly high in low-income countries - and within countries the costs are largest for the poor.^[1][2] Women's influence in key decisions improves the lives of women and has a positive effect on child well-being and development.^[3]

Child well-being and Gender Inequality

According to UNICEF (2007), "gender equality and the well-being of children are inextricably linked". Therefore, more gender equality would produce a 'double dividend' that benefits both women children.^[4] A large amount of evidence shows that mothers' Education has a positive effect on child well-being. Moreover, the effects of maternal education tend to be larger than those for paternal education. More educated mothers tend to have greater bargaining power within the household and so are better able to act on their preference for investing in children. Finally, educated

Mothers have an important role in particular in early childhood. A mother's illiteracy and lack of schooling affects the quality of care a child receives, which increases the incidence of illness, malnutrition and the child mortality rate. More educated mothers are more likely to adopt health-promoting behaviours, such as immunization or hygiene practice.^[5][6]

Evidence from developed countries

Do Family Policy Regimes Matter for Children's Well-Being?, 2011, D. Engster and H. Olofsdotter Stensöta. The paper investigates policy regimes of twenty OECD countries related to children's well-being in the areas of childhood poverty, child mortality, and educational attainment and achievement. The paper concludes that family policies have a significant impact on improving children's well-being, and that dual-earner regimes represent the best practice for promoting children's health and development.^[7]

Evidence from developing countries

In general, higher household incomes increase the child material well-being which is positively related with higher child survival rates and better nutritional status.^[8], increasing the development of their cognitive abilities.^[9] It matters however who controls the additional income because women in many societies, as studies have shown, are more likely to spend additional income for schooling, health expenditures, and food.^[10]

Finally, gender inequality also seems to affect the growth of HIV infection rates negatively.^[11]

However, there is also evidence that better-educated women marry better-educated husbands. So, it is possible that the observed effect on women's education might also to some extent reflect unobserved preferences of their husbands for healthier and better-educated children.^[12]

Child Well-being and Gender Inequality on Wikigender

Wikigender outlines addtional aspects of Child Well-being and Gender Inequality with future regional and country-specific related articles.

See also

Child Family and Peer Relationships

Under-Five Mortality Rate

References

1. ↑ Morrison, A., Raju, D. and Sinha, N. (2007), "Gender Equality, Poverty and Economic Growth", Policy Research Working Paper 4349, Gender and Development Group at The World Bank, September. p.7. Available at: http://www.development.wne.uw.edu.pl/uploads/Courses/DW_additional_gender.pdf
2. ↑ Elizabeth M. King and Andrew D. Mason (2001), “fEngendering Development—Through Gender Equality in Rights, Resources, and Voice”. World Bank and Oxford University Press. Summary available at: http://www.devoutreach.com/spring01/SpecialReportEngenderingDevelopment/tabid/1062/Default.aspx. Whole report at: http://go.worldbank.org/UGHQ0FEP50
3. ↑ UNICEF (2006), “Empower Women to Help Children”, Press Release for the UNICEF’s “State of the World’s Children 2007” report. Available at: http://www.unicef.org/media/media_37474.html
4. ↑ UNICEF (2006), “Empower Women to Help Children”, Press Release for the UNICEF’s “State of the World’s Children 2007” report. Available at: http://www.unicef.org/media/media_37474.html
5. ↑ Elizabeth M. King and Andrew D. Mason (2001), “fEngendering Development—Through Gender Equality in Rights, Resources, and Voice”. World Bank and Oxford University Press. Summary available at: http://www.devoutreach.com/spring01/SpecialReportEngenderingDevelopment/tabid/1062/Default.aspx. Whole report at: http://go.worldbank.org/UGHQ0FEP50
6. ↑ Morrison, A., Raju, D. and Sinha, N. (2007), "Gender Equality, Poverty and Economic Growth", Policy Research Working Paper 4349, Gender and Development Group at The World Bank, September. p.7. Available at: http://www.development.wne.uw.edu.pl/uploads/Courses/DW_additional_gender.pdf
7. ↑ Daniel Engster and Helena Olofsdotter Stensöta (2011), "Do Family Policy Regimes Matter for Children's Well-Being?", Soc Pol (2011) 18(1): 82-124. Astract available at: http://sp.oxfordjournals.org/content/18/1/82.abstract
8. ↑ UNICEF (2006), “Empower Women to Help Children”, Press Release for the UNICEF’s “State of the World’s Children 2007” report. Available at: http://www.unicef.org/media/media_37474.html
9. ↑ Morrison, A., Raju, D. and Sinha, N. (2007), "Gender Equality, Poverty and Economic Growth", Policy Research Working Paper 4349, Gender and Development Group at The World Bank, September. p.10. Available at: http://www.development.wne.uw.edu.pl/uploads/Courses/DW_additional_gender.pdf
10. ↑ UNICEF (2006), “Empower Women to Help Children”, Press Release for the UNICEF’s “State of the World’s Children 2007” report. Available at: http://www.unicef.org/media/media_37474.html
11. ↑ Elizabeth M. King and Andrew D. Mason (2001), “fEngendering Development—Through Gender Equality in Rights, Resources, and Voice”. World Bank and Oxford University Press. Summary available at: http://www.devoutreach.com/spring01/SpecialReportEngenderingDevelopment/tabid/1062/Default.aspx. Whole report at: http://go.worldbank.org/UGHQ0FEP50
12. ↑ Morrison, A., Raju, D. and Sinha, N. (2007), "Gender Equality, Poverty and Economic Growth", Policy Research Working Paper 4349, Gender and Development Group at The World Bank, September. p.10. Available at: http://www.development.wne.uw.edu.pl/uploads/Courses/DW_additional_gender.pdf

External links

Wikigender, on Gender Inequality and Child Well-being

Gender Inequality Index and Global Rankings (UNESCO)

Gender Statistics from The World Bank

Thematic Gender Data at The World Bank