Global prosperity reliant on women

http://www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/2008/10/18/20081018liggett18.html

by Jodi Beckley Liggett - Oct. 18, 2008 12:00 AM
My Turn
The current global economic crisis is a chance to reflect on what will be needed to launch a worldwide recovery. Something to consider: when women and girls are afforded equal opportunity, the results in terms of economic advancement are striking.

The Women's Funding Network reports that 7 of 10 of the world's hungry are women and girls. Two-thirds of the world's children denied a primary education are girls, and 75 percent of the world's 876 million illiterate adults are women, according to the Millennium Campaign 2007.

In some regions, especially sub-Saharan Africa, women provide 70 percent of agricultural labor, produce over 90 percent of food, and yet are nowhere represented in budget deliberations, as noted by the World Economic Forum 2005.
Even in the United States, we find that women earn 23 percent less than men and are far more likely to be poor.


The Economist called women "the most powerful engine" of global economic growth, estimating that over the past decade, they have contributed more to such growth than China. The East Asian "economic miracle" of unprecedented growth from 1965 to 1990 offers an example of how all elements of the poverty puzzle must fit together: Gender gaps in education were closed, women were able to delay childbearing and marriage while more work opportunities increased their participation in the labor force. The economic contribution of women helped reduce poverty and spur growth. So it seems that those who are most affected by economic downturns, women, also hold the greatest potential to end it.

Worldwide, the Women's Learning Partnership estimates that for every year beyond fourth grade that girls attend school, wages rise 20 percent, child deaths drop 10 percent and family size drops 20 percent. In analyzing the companies that make up the Fortune 500, a Catalyst study found that companies with the highest representation of women in management positions delivered 35.1 percent more return on equity and 34 percent more total return to shareholders than companies with the lowest representation. A recent study by the American Institute on Domestic Violence found intimate partner violence costs the U.S. almost $1.8 billion each year, and victims lose nearly 8 million days of paid work per year, the equivalent of more than 32,000 full-time jobs. Addressing women's safety and equality in the workplace, at school and at home yields serious economic benefits for everyone.

Like women round the world, Arizona women still earn less and are more likely to be poor than men. Why? Arizona has the second-highest female dropout rate, and the fourth-highest number of repeat births to teen mothers.

We know that these factors are a prescription for economic hardship. But Arizona has the tools and the will to turn this situation around. Savvy school districts are helping teenage mothers struggling to do the smart thing and get their high-school diploma.

Our state has invested in child care to help poor mothers earn jobs that will support their family. Arizona has made great strides in ensuring shelter for women fleeing domestic violence, helping them to rebuild their lives and become self-sufficient.

Yet, in tough economic times, belts are tightened and programs are cut. As our policymakers ready themselves to take drastic measures, we'd like to remind them that it just doesn't make sense to shred what little safety net we have in Arizona supporting girls, working women and their families. Women's equality is the key to economic prosperity. If we help them, we help ourselves.


Jodi Beckley Liggett is director of Research and Public Policy for the Arizona Foundation for Women (www.azfoundationfor women.org)