for women
Editorial By Susan O'Connor, Illustration by Brittney Guest

It is the 21st century. We live in an interconnected, somewhat enlightened world, don’t we? But truthfully, those of us in the West are so entombed in our own particular universe that we are blind to many atrocities in other parts of the world. It is not that we don’t care. Often, we just aren’t aware.

A recent feature in New York Times Magazine left me shocked and appalled as a woman, but even more so as the mother of two daughters. The article was an excerpt from a recently published book, “Half the Sky: Turning Oppression Into Opportunity for Women Worldwide,” written by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, both distinguished journalists. They explore such current day realities as the common practice of aborting female fetuses, substandard medical care and education for female children and the subjugation, mutilation and sexual exploitation of young girls and women. Basically the lack of value placed on females in general.

Though women’s issues are traditionally considered “soft” news, a stint for The New York Times in Beijing was startling enough to light a fire underneath the writers. The premise of their book is that “the oppression of women worldwide is the human rights cause of our time. And their liberation could help solve many of the world’s problems, from poverty to child mortality to terrorism.”

Consider the following statistics: 100 million women and girls are missing around the world solely because they are female, which is more than the number of men killed on the battlefield in all the wars of the 20th century; in China and India, more than 1.5 million fewer girls are born each year than demographics would predict, and more girls die before they turn five than would be expected; in China in 2007, there were 1.73 million births, and one million missing girls; 39,000 baby girls die in a normal year in China because parents don’t give them the same medical care and attention as male offspring; in India, a “bride burning” takes place approximately every two hours to punish a woman for an incomplete dowry or to eliminate her so a man can remarry.

One would think that the poorer and less developed the country, the more these statistics apply, however that is not always the case. The bias against girls applies in some of the most educated, wealthiest nations in the world, including South Korea, Taiwan and Singapore, as well as middle-income nations with an educated population, such as Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. An obvious link exists between these statistics and cultures with a very strong patriarchal tradition.

The journalists interviewed many absolutely extraordinary women who found ways to rise above their situations and cultures, leaving behind pasts rife with bondage and abuse. Often, a tiny micro-loan from a relief agency made the life changes possible.

The authors make a strong case for the fact that improving the lives of women will have a profound effect on our world, a truth that relief agencies have noted for years. More and more aid is finding its way directly to women. The book is well done and thorough — an education in itself.

So in this month of giving thanks and acknowledging our blessings, I’m grateful to live in a country where women are respected and have equal rights; where the sky is the limit for my daughters, and for me.