Women still sidelined in economic decision-making

Gender equality contributes to economic growth, but economic growth does not always contribute to gender equality, says the United Nations World Survey on the Role of Women in Development launched Tuesday, a message well timed in the context of the current financial crisis. Women's participation in the economic sector has been proven to underpin Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) such as poverty reduction, child health and education. Still, "The lack of women's access to financial resources, as well as their underrepresentation in institutions such as banks and ministries of finance, is striking," says James Heintz, associate director of the Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Built upon recent statistics and academic research, the World Survey, published every five years by the U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs, focuses this year on "women's control over economic resources and access to financial resources, including microfinance".