Typically when women make a little money they invest it in their families (up to 90% by some estimates). When coffers wealthy nations run dry, investment in women’s issue is usually one of the first things to go.
That’s because everybody needs clean water but only women can die in childbirth (currently one every minute). So decision makers choose to help the most number of people.
But this is shortsighted policy. Women are the caregivers for both young and old. If children get health care it’s because their mother’s have ensured it. And women are the ones who send the children to school.
When women are left without resources, they cannot access family planning services to limit their families, have limited access to skilled birth attendants during childbirth and cannot invest in the well-being of their families. Just as an example, if the women who want to plan their childbearing had access to contraceptives, 1 in 3 deaths related to pregnancy and childbirth could be avoided.
Between $5.5 billion and $6.1 billion in additional funding is needed by 2015 to substantially improve maternal health. It’s hard to imagine that will happen in this economy.
It is sad that most of these decisions concerning women are made by men. Of course every man wants healthy children, but some of them do not give a thought about how this is achieved. Access to contraceptives is not an option in some households and some husbands are too ignorant to seek information about these services. Its a tricky situation in Africa as in the rural areas women are still dependent on the men totally on their upkeep. In the urban areas its a different story as it is the women who keep their households going, especially where the woman is employed. Many urban-based women are now buying their own property and investing in real estate. This is now possible due to the ease of obtaining bank loans which they can pay back from their salaries. There is also now a fund for women that gives loans to women's groups to develop any kind of business ideas that they may have.
About
Deni Robey directs the communications, outreach and advocacy programs for Americans for UNFPA. She provides oversight of the organization’s work to increase public awareness about the global heath and dignity women and to build moral, political and financial support within the U.S. for UNFPA. Deni has spent her career building communications and marketing strategies for non-profit organizations. She strives to engage Americans and spur them to political advocacy. Prior to joining Americans for UNFPA in October of 2004, she worked primarily for organizations that advance women’s reproductive rights. She also managed economic development initiatives at a community, national, and bi-national level.
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JaneGinn
Friday 31st July, 2009, 9:05pm
It is interesting that, through the evolution of the Grameen Bank, Yunus and his team have focused on women. This is primarily because they have shown that the overall health of the family goes up when the microcredit lending goes to the women in the household.