Resource information
There is compelling evidence of the
importance of gender equality for poverty reduction and
sustainable growth. So it should come as no surprise that
most development actors-international agencies, bilateral
donors, and most developing countries, have an official
policy for promoting gender equality. Millennium Development
Goal 3 (MDG3) on gender equality and women's
empowerment is shared global commitment. With only seven
years remaining until the end date for the MDGs, it is an
opportune time to take stock of where the world stands in
terms of progress toward gender equality. This volume
documents trends both on the official MDG3 indicators and on
an expanded set of indicators that provide a more complete
measure of gender equality, especially in the area of
women's economic empowerment. The message that emerges
is both hopeful and sobering: progress toward equality in
capabilities has been considerable, but progress toward
equality of opportunities for women's economic
livelihoods leaves much to be desired. Beyond tracking
trends toward gender equality, the volume reviews different
measures of gender equality and estimates the financial
resources required to achieve this objective. While
necessarily imprecise, such estimates can provide a rough
guide as to whether the level of effort devoted by
international donors and developing countries is adequate in
the area of women's economic empowerment.
