NEW YORK, 23 September 2009: “Women perform 66 percent of the worlds work, and produce 50 percent of the food, yet they earn only 10 percent of the income and own 1 percent of the property” former US President Bill Clinton said Wednesday.
He spoke at the Fifth Annual Meeting of the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), which brings together leaders from across sectors of society to identify solutions to some of the worlds most pressing problems.
– Whether the issue is improving education in the developing world, or fighting global climate change, or addressing nearly any other challenge we face, empowering women is a critical part of the equation, Mr. Clinton noted.
Reports show that when women and girls are empowered, entire regions see measurable results. This is especially true for economic empowerment – for example, a woman is likely to reinvest about 90 percent of her earnings into her familys well-being, compared with 35 percent for a man.
Increases in access to education among girls accounted for a decline of 43 percent in the malnutrition rates between 1970 and 1995. Investing in womens health, especially reproductive health, not only saves the lives of half a million mothers, but also unleashes an estimated 15 billion US dollar in productivity each year.
Kilde: www.clintoninitiative.org
