Chapter 9 Key Issue 3

Where does development vary by gender?Gender-related development indexGender empowerment

Miss Representation Trailer

A country’s overall development can hide inequalities in the status of men and women

Gender inequality exists in every country of world

Some more than less

Gender-Related Development Index (GDI)

Compares the level of devp’t of women with that of both sexes

Gender Empowerment Measure (GEM)Compares ability of women and men to

participate in economic and political decision making

Flashcards

Gender-Related Development Index (GDI)Combines the same indicators from HDI

(income, literacy, education and life expectancy) to reflect differences in gender

GDI penalizes countries for having large disparities

Iran Mexico

Children Enrolled in School

2/3 of population

2/3 of population

GDI Lower higher

Girls Less likely to be enrolled in school

More likely to be enrolled in school

GDIComplete gender equality = 1.0No country has perfect GDIHigh GDI: men & women have high level of

devp’t, with women slightly lower than menLow GDI: women have low level of devp’tHighest GDI: Norway with 0.960High GDI: Western Europe North AmericaLowest GDI: Sub-Saharan AfricaBecause I am a girl Video

Economic Indicator of Gender DifferencesUN uses average income of males & femalesAvg. income for women is less in every

country

Women Men

US $29,017 $46,456

MDCs 2/3 of men

Switzerland $3,000 less

Austria, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg

$20,000 less

LDCs $ amount is low Much higher %

Social Indicators of Gender DifferencesTwo social indicators: Education & LiteracyLDCs: women less likely to attend school,

especially secondary school (high school)LDCs: ration of women to men in school

60:100, 40%MDCs: ratio of women to men in school 99:

100, 50%Sub-Saharan Africa & Middle East: large

disparityFewer than 1/3 of girls attend school

Latin America & AsiaAlmost equal, but less than MDCs

Social Indicators of Gender DifferencesLiteracyMDCs: literacy rate is near equal for

men/womenLatin America & Asia: similar, but not equalSub-Saharan Africa & Middle East: female

literacy rate is low, much lower than maleCause & consequence of low contribution

females are permitted to make in economy & culture

Demographic Indicator Life expectancyMDCs: gender gap is greater

Females live several years longer (US: 6yrs)LDCs: small gap

Females live 1-2yrs longerChildbearing: poor medical conditions

Gap of women’s status is on reducing trendReduced 2/3 in LDC & ¼ in MDC since 1970

Gender EmpowermentGDI reflects improvements of standard of

living & well-being of womenGEM measures ability of women to

participate in process of achieving those improvements

Less women than men hold positions of economic & political power in every country of world

Gender Empowerment MeasureGEMCalculated by combining:2 indicators of economic power

Income Professional jobs

2 indicators of political powerManagerial jobsElected jobs

Perfect GEM: 1.0Highest GEMs: MDCs, North America, North

Europe, South PacificLowest GEMs: Africa, Asia

Economic Indicators of GEMPercentage of women in professional &

technical jobsOffer women greatest opportunity for

advancement to positions that influence country’s economy

Cultural barriers can prevent women from these jobs

Highest percentage: Northern Europe & North AmericaMore than half are women

Economic Indicators of GEM2nd Indicator: income held by women, GDIAverage income for women less in EVERY

country

Political Indicators of GEM1st Indicator: % of country’s administrative &

managerial jobsMDCs: higher % of women , especially North

America, Northern Europe and South Pacific, more than 1/3

LDCs: less than ¼ are held by women

Political Indicators of Empowerment2nd Indicator: Percentage of women elected to

public officeMore women than men vote in most placesNo country has parliament/congress with majority

womenHighest percentage: Northern Europe, 1/3 of

parliamentMDCs: 1 in 5 are legislatorsLDCs: less than 1 in 10 are legislatorsUS: 15% are legislatorsEvery country has lower GEM than GDI

Discussion Panel about Gender Inequality in the Middle EastChristiane Amanpour

Women's Rights in the Middle East

Key Issue 4Why do Less Developed Countries Face

Obstacles to DevelopmentDevelopment through self-sufficiencyDevelopment through international tradeFinancing developmentFair trade