Margaret May (McPherson, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

The United Nations Population Fund State of World Population 2005 report is an important reference tool for all developed countries. It is a tool that lays before us the huge challenges we have in bringing about gender equality in the world—the importance of education programs directed at reproductive health in developing countries and the enormous challenge the world has in meeting the benchmarks of the Millennium Development Goals.

I commend the member for Ryan for bringing forward this important motion. The motion highlights once again the plight of the poor, and in particular the plight of women. The report points out that the considerable and largely preventible burden of poor reproductive health falls most heavily on the poorest women and their families. It goes on to say:

The ability to make free and informed choices in reproductive life, including those involving childbearing, underpins self-determination in all other areas of women’s lives. Because these issues affect women so profoundly, reproductive health cannot—

and should not—

be separated from the wider goal of gender equality.

Gender equality is a human right—a right we have fought for and on occasions still fight for in our own country. But many women around the world have no rights. Investing in gender equality and the education of women and girls pays enormous dividends in social and economic progress. There is strong evidence that gender equality has a lasting impact on future generations. Gender discrimination squanders human capital by making inefficient use of individual abilities, thus limiting the contribution of women to build strong and vibrant communities.

Education is the key to poverty reduction. It is a powerful tool that should be used to overcome discrimination and gender inequality. Young women and girls should have the right, and be encouraged, to undertake some form of schooling. The report indicates that the gender gap in education has left nearly twice as many women as men illiterate.

Education increases the ability of women to earn a living—to make an economic contribution to their communities, to assist with the support of their families. Knowledge is power. Armed with knowledge, women can take control of their own destinies. Educated girls are more likely to delay marriage and child-bearing. They tend to have fewer children. There are multiple benefits from the education of young women—better health outcomes and skills that improve their economic prospects, which in turn reduce poverty. They are very strong reasons to educate young women.

Without education, the human rights of young women and girls around the globe will continue to be abused. Young girls—and I mean very young girls, girls who should be enjoying their childhood—are married against their will. In some cultures, violence against women and girls is tolerated, rapists are exonerated and women are denied equal rights within the family or within the community.

One of the most telling statistics is the lack of women in decision-making roles around the world. Women are highly underrepresented in national parliaments where the decisions are made. In other words, women in developing countries in particular do not have a voice at the table. In fact, only 14 countries around the world have reached the United Nations benchmark of having 30 per cent of parliamentarians being women. We need to support bodies like UNFPA in their work to empower women. We need to be active around the globe in giving women the opportunities to undertake education programs and encouraging them to take leadership roles in their communities. Investing in women, in their education, will pay enormous dividends in social and economic growth and poverty reduction. Kofi Annan has said:

The continuing marginalization of women in decision-making has been both a cause and effect of slow progress in many areas of development.

The Millennium Development Goals provide a road map for the future and I would encourage the Howard government to continue its support of these goals. Investing in and empowering young people through the benchmarks set by the MDGs, particularly in the areas of gender equality and reproductive health, will free impoverished families and countries from poverty. Most reproductive health problems are preventible through proven interventions, achieved through culturally and religiously appropriate activities, which have resulted in a reduction in the incidence of fistula and in maternal and child mortality.

In closing today, I encourage all members of this House to take note of the report and spend some time reading it. It is important to know and understand what is happening in the world around us. We are a very rich country; we can and should support our aid programs and continue to do so in the future. The Millennium Project Task Force on Education and Gender Equality has stated:

Development policies and actions that fail to take gender inequality into account or that fail to enable women to be actors in those policies and actions will have limited effectiveness and serious costs to societies.

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