Among the many advances that the world witnessed in the second half of the last century, one of the most significant was the introduction of programs that have given women and men greater control over their lives, including the ability to make informed choices about how many children to have and when to have them.
As a result, the average number of children per woman declined from 6 to less than 3. This substantial reduction in fertility amounted to a social revolution with an impact rivaling that of the industrial revolution of the 19th century.
Achieving desired family size is fundamental to the well being of individual families, to society as a whole and, ultimately, to the well being of the entire planet. This is especially true in an age when the availability of food and vital natural resources, as well as maintaining a rational environmental and ecological balance, are issues of global concern. For these very reasons, it is unacceptable that some 350 million couples, virtually all of them living in the developing world, still lack access to a range of safe, efficient and reliable family planning methods.
Within the past decade, governments have embraced a new approach to population concerns. At the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo, 179 countries agreed that the emphasis should be on meeting individuals’ reproductive and sexual health needs, including family planning–and on the empowerment of women.
Beyond universal access to family planning services, the most effective social intervention to ensure family stability and promote sustainable development is to work to ensure gender equity and equality. When women are allowed and encouraged to attain their full potential, communities, nations and the planet will reap infinite dividends. This is a process that involves opening educational, employment and decision-making opportunities to women at every level of society. It all begins, however, with the treatment and degree of respect a girl receives within her own family. In a number of societies, the perception of the value of a female child will certainly involve enormous attitudinal changes.
Herein, I believe lies the major story–numerous significant stories really–of the new millennium. 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 human annals that I believe will define our generation–for better or worse. We must strive to take down the formidable barriers that have barred half the world’s people from viable participation in society. Our success or failure in this effort will go a long way toward determining our roles in the progress of civilization.
