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UP TO 16 PERCENT MORE BOYS THAN GIRLS ARE BORN IN THE SOUTH CAUCASUS
arminfo
Wednesday, December 7, 13:45
Up to 16 percent more boys than girls are born in the South Caucasus,
an imbalance second only to China and India.
Achieving gender equality can help support economic development and
prosperity in the countries of Emerging Europe and Central Asia, says
a new World Bank report, "Opportunities for Men and Women: Emerging
Europe and Central Asia", released today in Istanbul. Governments
can address gender gaps by facilitating women's entry into the
labor market, adopting educational reforms, and addressing health
disparities.
The new report reviews the performance of men and women during the
last decade in three spheres: human capital, labor markets, and
entrepreneurship, and examines a range of issues pertaining to men's
and women's economic opportunities.
The report finds three areas of gender inequality in the Emerging
Europe and Central Asia region:
First, there are gender gaps in health and tertiary education in the
economies of the region. In health, men are dying too young in some
countries, such as Kazakhstan, Russia, and Ukraine. In other countries,
such as in the South Caucasus, there are unusually low numbers of girls
being born. Up to 16 percent more boys than girls are born in the South
Caucasus, an imbalance second only to China and India. In education,
relative parity exists among men and women at the primary and secondary
level, but gender gaps emerge at the tertiary level with not enough
men attending universities. There are also large gender gaps in basic
school enrollment rates for minority groups such as Roma children.
Second, the structural changes in the economies of the region
have opened up economic and employment opportunities for women and
reduced some avenues of prosperity for men. The growth of the services
sector and the shrinkage of the manufacturing sector have created job
opportunities for women while reducing some high paying jobs for men.
Despite this, women's earnings are on average about 20 percent less
than those of men, though the gender gap in wages varies significantly
across countries in the region.
Third, the dramatic demographic changes in the region have different
implications for men and women. The region's population is aging and
fewer children are being born, which will result in a shrinking labor
force and increasing vulnerability to old age poverty. Between 2009 and
2025, the share of the population above 60 will rise sharply, from 15
to 25 percent of the population, and women will constitute 57 percent
of this age group. The challenge is to increase labor participation
rates for both men and women, at the same time as protecting women's
ability to have children and provide them with good quality care.
To address the existing gender disparities and achieve equal economic
opportunities for men and women in the region, the report makes the
following policy recommendations:
Women's greater labor force participation is important, especially in
the context of growing demographic challenges. Measures are needed to
facilitate women's entry into the labor force, such as better child
care, more sensible maternity leave policies, and closing the gender
gap in retirement age.
Improving the quality of education and reducing gender imbalances
at the secondary and tertiary levels are essential to increase
productivity and close existing wage gaps.
Addressing the pockets of health disparities that remain in individual
countries of the region is important. Comprehensive national agendas
and delivery of specific programs are needed to reduce maternal
mortality rates, increase male life expectancy, and address the
imbalance in the sex ratio. To recall, official statistics says a
total of 84,000 people searched jobs as of late October in Armenia,
with 57,000 of them being women.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
arminfo
Wednesday, December 7, 13:45
Up to 16 percent more boys than girls are born in the South Caucasus,
an imbalance second only to China and India.
Achieving gender equality can help support economic development and
prosperity in the countries of Emerging Europe and Central Asia, says
a new World Bank report, "Opportunities for Men and Women: Emerging
Europe and Central Asia", released today in Istanbul. Governments
can address gender gaps by facilitating women's entry into the
labor market, adopting educational reforms, and addressing health
disparities.
The new report reviews the performance of men and women during the
last decade in three spheres: human capital, labor markets, and
entrepreneurship, and examines a range of issues pertaining to men's
and women's economic opportunities.
The report finds three areas of gender inequality in the Emerging
Europe and Central Asia region:
First, there are gender gaps in health and tertiary education in the
economies of the region. In health, men are dying too young in some
countries, such as Kazakhstan, Russia, and Ukraine. In other countries,
such as in the South Caucasus, there are unusually low numbers of girls
being born. Up to 16 percent more boys than girls are born in the South
Caucasus, an imbalance second only to China and India. In education,
relative parity exists among men and women at the primary and secondary
level, but gender gaps emerge at the tertiary level with not enough
men attending universities. There are also large gender gaps in basic
school enrollment rates for minority groups such as Roma children.
Second, the structural changes in the economies of the region
have opened up economic and employment opportunities for women and
reduced some avenues of prosperity for men. The growth of the services
sector and the shrinkage of the manufacturing sector have created job
opportunities for women while reducing some high paying jobs for men.
Despite this, women's earnings are on average about 20 percent less
than those of men, though the gender gap in wages varies significantly
across countries in the region.
Third, the dramatic demographic changes in the region have different
implications for men and women. The region's population is aging and
fewer children are being born, which will result in a shrinking labor
force and increasing vulnerability to old age poverty. Between 2009 and
2025, the share of the population above 60 will rise sharply, from 15
to 25 percent of the population, and women will constitute 57 percent
of this age group. The challenge is to increase labor participation
rates for both men and women, at the same time as protecting women's
ability to have children and provide them with good quality care.
To address the existing gender disparities and achieve equal economic
opportunities for men and women in the region, the report makes the
following policy recommendations:
Women's greater labor force participation is important, especially in
the context of growing demographic challenges. Measures are needed to
facilitate women's entry into the labor force, such as better child
care, more sensible maternity leave policies, and closing the gender
gap in retirement age.
Improving the quality of education and reducing gender imbalances
at the secondary and tertiary levels are essential to increase
productivity and close existing wage gaps.
Addressing the pockets of health disparities that remain in individual
countries of the region is important. Comprehensive national agendas
and delivery of specific programs are needed to reduce maternal
mortality rates, increase male life expectancy, and address the
imbalance in the sex ratio. To recall, official statistics says a
total of 84,000 people searched jobs as of late October in Armenia,
with 57,000 of them being women.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress