Goal 3: Gender Equality

Across the developing world, women bear a disproportionate amount of the world’s poverty. Women are more likely to live in extreme poverty, to be unemployed, and to suffer from hunger than men.  They frequently lack equal opportunities in education and occupy worse or fewer jobs than males.  As the lower income-earner, women have had little say in household decision-making and are often at risk for domestic violence and exploitation.

Because of this severe inequality, Millennium Development Goal 3 aims to promote female empowerment by supporting female education at all levels—primary, secondary, and higher education.  Education empowers women to obtain more secure jobs, contribute to family income, and increase their voice in family and community politics.

As a result of investments made targeting this Goal, women have obtained equal access to primary education in many areas of the world.  However, in the poorest regions—where women are most vulnerable—far fewer women than men enroll in any level of school.  As a result, 2 of every 3 women in developing nations still have unstable jobs, and relatively few women occupy political leadership.

Significant investment and public donations will be needed to meet Goal 3 by 2015.

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TARGET 1: Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and in all levels of school no later than 2015

Education remains one of the most important steps in economic and political empowerment of females in developing nations. In effort to achieve equal primary education for girls by 2005, many countries have increased spending on female education specifically.

FEMALE ENROLLMENT IN PRIMARY SCHOOL HAS INCREASED SIGNIFICANTLY. Due to targeted investments, female enrollment in primary school has increased faster than male enrollment in recent years. Today, 2 out of every 3 countries have similar rates of girls and boys receiving primary education. Greatest progress has occurred in Southern Asia, Northern Africa, and parts of sub-Saharan Africa.

BUT GAPS REMAIN BETWEEN MALE AND FEMALE PRIMARY EDUCATION ENROLLMENT. Although Western Asia and sub-Saharan Africa still have significant gaps between female and male primary education, both these regions are improving. In contrast, the Pacific Islands have actually experienced a worsening in education disparity between girls and boys.

SECONDARY SCHOOL ENROLLMENT VARIES BY REGION. In those regions where female primary education is high—Latin America, Southeast and Eastern Asia, Northern Europe, and Southeast Europe—girls generally go on to secondary school, with enrollment rates sometimes exceeding those of males. However, where female primary education is low, far fewer females than males attend secondary school.

HIGHER EDUCATION ENROLLMENT VARIES BY REGION. Worldwide, more females attend college than males. Significant progress has been made in Eastern Asia and Northern Africa. However, in poorer regions such as sub-Saharan Africa, Southern Asia, Pacific Islands, female enrollment in higher education still lags significantly behind males. No progress has been made in sub-Saharan Africa.