Marilyn Hempel
An extraordinary movement emerged late in the 20th century: women the world over began to join together, speak out (sometimes risking their lives), and demand equal human rights. The rapid growth of this movement heralds a new era in human history, one in which freedom is no longer restricted by gender.
This year the United Nations–recognizing that one-half of the world’s people are not free to realize their full potential–has asked all countries to report their progress toward equal rights for women. Consider these facts: Women work two-thirds of all hours worked, but receive only one-tenth of the world’s income, and own a mere .01% of the world’s property. Women also make up 70% of the worlds poor and 66% of the more than 960 million adults who can neither read nor write.
This special edition of the Pop!ulation Press contains articles written by women about women–and one man. In our series "Changing Roles and Realities" the Population Press has been bringing you personal stories from women around the world. We include six more–from Mexico, Tanzania, Senegal, Benin, Iran, Indonesia–and the story of one man from Bangladesh who has dedicated his life to creative solutions to end poverty. Personal stories are often more insightful, meaningful and indicative of change than mere numbers and statistics. Yet statistics are telling. At the end of each story is a fact box that provides data for comparing each country–including the United States. It reveals some surprises that will challenge conventional wisdom.
These days glowing reports of financial mergers and stories of new millionaires dominate our economic news. Even the news about teenage pregnancy is positive. But despite a 17% decline in teenage pregnancy in the 1990s, a new study observes that the United States still has one of the highest adolescent pregnancy rates in the industrialized world. The Alan Guttmacher Institute reports that 900,000 Americans under the age of 20 become pregnant every year, four times the rates in France, Germany and Japan. Rates for the Netherlands, Italy and Spain are 1/16th the U.S. rate! Europe’s success can be attributed to its dedication to provision of contraceptive services, sex education for teens, and a general acceptance of the idea of a steady-state society.
We think of Africa as a continent in dire need of family planning and health services. But of the six countries covered in this special Pop!ulation Press, only Mexico and Bangladesh have higher teenage birth rates than the United States! Because so many U.S. teen parents live in poverty and have dropped out of high school, we are reminded that America has not fully addressed the issues of poverty and self-esteem here at home.
The greatness and maturity of a nation should be measured by its ability to confront and respond to its most serious problems. With considerable insight, Nafis Sadik, Executive Director of the UN Population Fund, writes: "I am convinced that the empowerment of women is the next phase in the ongoing evolution of civilization. It has already begun. It is a story of human survival–and human progress. It is a chapter in the annals of human history that I believe will define our generation–for better or worse."
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