Athina Koutouleas

So here we are 2011, 4 years away from our Millennium Development Goals deadline to:

1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

2: Achieve universal primary education

3: Promote gender equality and empower women

4: Reduce child mortality rate

5: Improve maternal health

6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases

7: Ensure environmental sustainability

8: Develop a global partnership for development

Ambitious? Yes. Impossible…No. In fact, 4 out of 8 of the goals can be achieved via a very simple shift in paradigms. A small change in our social focal lens can improve the way foreign aid is managed and allocated. A re-jig in past acts of community development is critical.And it all starts with investing in women.

There has been an exciting buzz around the notion of “the girl effect”. Studies have shown that of every dollar we invest in women living within poverty stricken areas, 90 cents will go towards her family and local community. Of that same dollar, men will invest a measly 30-40 cents. Given that women are typically (still) earning no more than 75% of the typical male wage, a serious discrepancy is evident.

Whilst already being a fairly strong advocate of women (as a whole), I was still overwhelmingly startled by this fact. What makes a woman care more about the future of her family and community?