Stand up & speak out: 70% poor are women

Seventy percent of the world's poor and sixtyfive percent of the world's illiterate are women. On March 08, 2007, women's groups all over the world seek gender equality to end poverty. Year 2007 is also important as it is the mid-way year for achieving the Millenium Development Goals (MDGs).

Of the 1 billion people who live on less than $1 a day, 70 per cent are women.  Women make up 65 percent of the world’s illiterate.  Although women do two thirds of the work in the world, the rate of paid employment for women is two thirds that of men.

Women hold less than 6 percent of senior management positions in the world.  These facts highlight how gender discrimination and inequality extends from education to the workplace and beyond and how the feminization of poverty is a reality.

2007 is an historical year in the struggle against poverty and inequality. It marks the halfway point in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). In spite of governments’ commitments to the MDGs, poverty continues to expand and it affects mostly women and children.

In spite of increasing wealth indicating growing global economic indicators, women and children are the ones with the highest numbers of illiteracy, lack of primary education, school drop outs, maternal and infant mortality, malnutrition, anaemia, HIV/AIDS, domestic violence, sexual exploitation and abuse, and forced pregnancies.

This constant impoverishment can only be overcome with the political will and commitment of the world’s governments.  It can only be overcome by changing the orientation of public investments, giving priority to social investments, avoiding corruption, and working together with civil society organizations, among them the women’s organizations, who work at the country and regional level for the eradication of poverty and implementation of fair and just social policies.

All this requires putting the economy at the service of people, as people are the main capital a country has. It also requires the implementation of concrete measures in support of women’s equality and to put an end to the reproduction of poverty.

We therefore demand:

1. Gender equality to end poverty.
2. Without the inclusion of gender equality, no development policies can be accepted.
3. Focusing on women’s empowerment and gender justice highlights issues fundamental to tackle global poverty and inequality.
4. Feminization of poverty is a reality. Address it!