Media coverage of women’s era

United Press International published an article titled "The Age of Women" on March 4. Author Martin Walker, editor emeritus of United Press, pointed out that the official slogan developed by the United Nations for International Women's Day in 2013 is "A promise worth a thousand dollars: Take action to end atrocities against women." In contrast, the NGO International Women's Day News Network announced that its theme for Women's Day 2013 is "Gender equality: moving forward."

The article stated that although these themes were "conclusive", they did not mention the fundamental issues related to the status and future of women in this era. Today, there are two most important facts about women: first, the world is facing a serious underpopulation of women; second, women are becoming the more educated party.

Asia has a shortfall of more than 200 million women

The article stated that according to a 2005 United Nations survey on male to female ratios in various countries around the world, according to the normal male to female ratio, Asia’s female population is short of 163 million. . Today, by calculation again, it can be concluded that the gap for Asian women has reached 205 million.

To a large extent, this is due to the one-child policy that China has implemented for the past 30 years. For cultural reasons, Chinese families often choose to have a boy since they can only have one child, and the widespread use of ultrasound scans allows parents to find out the sex of their fetuses.

China’s official figures show that the male to female ratio of children under 5 years old is 119:100.

The article stated that according to Chinese official figures, in 2009, among China’s population under the age of 20, there were 33.3 million more men than women. The Chinese Academy of Social Sciences estimates that by 2020, there will be at least 24 million more marriageable men than women. By then, these men may not be able to marry a wife or have children.

The imbalance in the ratio of men to women has affected the labor market, residents’ income and consumption, and some people even blame the rising crime rate on this. According to the "China Legal Yearbook", between 1988 and 2004, China's criminal cases increased by an average annual rate of 13.6%. The vast majority (70%) of offenders are between the ages of 16 and 25, and 90% of those arrested are male.

The article pointed out that other Asian countries have similar trends. In India, Pakistan, South Korea and Vietnam, despite laws prohibiting intentional abortion of female fetuses, the number of girls under the age of 10 is still 10% below the appropriate number. In India, the tendency to favor boys over girls is also quite obvious.

The number of female graduates exceeds that of men

The article stated that although the gap among women is growing, their academic qualifications are surpassing those of men. In Europe and North America, women account for 59%, and in departments traditionally dominated by men, such as law schools, medical schools, and science departments, the graduation rate of women is gradually exceeding that of men.

In Iran, Mexico, Brazil, Indonesia and Russia, women account for more than 60% of undergraduate graduates. Among Islamic countries, Bahrain, Brunei, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Qatar and Turkey have a higher proportion of female science graduate students than the United States.

The article points out that women’s higher academic qualifications mean that their employment opportunities will also increase significantly. A survey by the Chartered Management Institute found that in the UK, female managers in their 20s earned an average annual salary of about $32,600, $900 more than what male managers of the same age could earn.

David Willetts, the British Minister of Higher Education, said: “About half of women have obtained an undergraduate degree before the age of 30, while only 40% of men may have. In various institutions, the subjects of male and female students There is also a gap in achievement. "

The overall educational level is still low

The article stated that, however, women account for 2/3 of the total number of illiterate people globally. Overall, women are paid lower wages and have fewer opportunities for advancement than men, and they make up only a small proportion of female executives and directors. This is not only a waste of talent, but also means that the world's wealth has been greatly reduced.

Invest and equalize the employment rate of men and women, then the GDP will increase by 5.4%.

The article points out that for every extra year of schooling for girls, their wages will increase by 10% and infant mortality will be reduced by at least 5%. This also means that children will spend more time in education. extend.

Robert Gallucci, chairman of the John and Catherine MacArthur Foundation, said: “For those of us working to address global poverty, improving girls’ education may be the most effective solution. ."