9
Overview
Gender outcomes result from interactions between households, markets, and institutions
FIGURE 1
po
GE
lic
NDE
R EQUALIT
Y
ies MAL INFOR
S
UTION
INSTIT
ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITIES
TS RKE MA
HOUSEHOLDS AGENCY
FOR
MAL
GR
OW
INST
ITUT
ION S
TH
Source: WDR 2012 team.
Across the world, women are having fewer children
FIGURE 2
How fast can fertility decline? Iran, Islamic Rep. Bangladesh Morocco Zimbabwe Colombia India United States 0
20
40
60
80
100
number of years for the total fertility rate to fall from more than 6 children to less than 3
Source: www.gapminder.org
now reversing, with boys and young men at a relative disadvantage. Two-thirds of all countries have reached gender parity in primary education enrollments, while in over one-third, girls significantly outnumber boys in secondary education (figure 3). Even in regions with the largest remaining gender gaps—South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa (particularly West Africa)— there have been considerable gains. And in a striking reversal of historical patterns, more women than men now attend universities, with women’s tertiary enrollment across the globe having risen more than sevenfold since 1970 (fourfold for men). Yet while boy disadvantage is slowly emerging in some places, girl disadvantage where it exists tends to emerge earlier in life and is deeper.
Women’s market work Women’s labor force participation has grown in the past 30 years as expanding economic opportunities have drawn many female workers
ENDOWMENTS