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Gender Discrimination
"When you grow up, you can be whatever you want to be." Little girls in the United States hear this all the time, from their mothers to teachers to "Sesame Street" characters. Almost everywhere they go, they are encouraged to believe that girls can be just as smart, athletic, and successful as boys. Even the pictures of spunky women on magazine covers at the checkout stand tell them that when you're a girl, anything is possible.
But for little girls in developing countries, the message is just the opposite. From the day they are born, they are constantly reminded of the things they are not allowed to do.
Read more about gender discrimination.
Women Around the World
Most of us probably can't imagine being kept from going to school, getting
a good job or having the physical care we need to survive. But there are
millions of women—many in developing countries—who are forced
to cope with those realities every day. Opportunities can seem as far
away to them as their hardships can seem to us.
We can find ways to bring those two worlds together. A good
place to start is simply by learning more about the lives of women in
other societies.
The Facts
Low nutrition, poor health care, and a lack of education have generated
the most serious problems for women around the world. It's troubling to
look at some of the statistics.
-Women in Niger had an average of eight children each between
1995 and 2000, but only 30 percent of them received prenatal care. Most
were left vulnerable to high-risk childbirth and early mortality.
-In most African countries, women make up the majority of
those suffering from HIV/AIDS, compared to low percentages in developed
countries. For women in Africa, a lack of status and education continue
to make them susceptible to the disease.
-Illiteracy persists around the world, limiting possibilities
for women in many countries. Nearly 30 percent of young women in Guatemala
and Nicaragua are illiterate, making it incredibly difficult for them
to get higher-paying jobs and to protect themselves against sexual exploitation.
-Early mortality is a stark indicator of the desperate situation
of women in developing countries. Poor nutrition, HIV/AIDS and other diseases,
physical conflict, high-risk childbirth and other factors bring life spans
down drastically in Africa and parts of Asia. In 2000, a newborn girl
in Angola, Chad or Afghanistan wouldn't be expected to live past her mid-40.
Far too many of these women know what it means to live life
on the edge. Even more remain vulnerable to these risks because of two
major factors: poverty and cultural discrimination. Women are put at a
disadvantage on one hand by being treated as second-class citizens who
aren't worth educating or treating with respect. The bias can be so severe
that parents choose to kill or abort baby girls rather than spend their
resources to raise them. On the other hand, women bear the heaviest workloads
at home and at dehumanizing jobs—which sometimes include prostitution—just
to keep their families afloat.
There is hope in the darkest situation, however. Many outstanding
Christian organizations support women and their communities around the
world by providing health care, supplying basic necessities, and encouraging
all children, especially girls, to go to school so they can get better
paying jobs and be good parents themselves one day—all in Jesus'
name. These organizations recognize that Christ's healing includes protecting
women and treating them fairly so that families and societies may flourish
as a whole.
You can reach out to women around the world by being a part
of that work. It might mean sponsoring a child to help lift the economic
burden off her family so that she can go to school. Or you may help by
assisting a community to build a well or get farming supplies and improve
their livelihood.
Start by finding out more about the circumstances of women
in specific countries. Find something that strikes a chord with you. Make
it personal. Then give as you feel called to an organization you believe
in that works to rehabilitate communities both physically and spiritually.
You may not know them in person, but you can make mothers, daughters,
sisters, and friends of the women you know in your heart.
Find out more about the situation of women and children
around the world at http://www.unicef.org,
then consider ways to help through one of these organizations:
All statistics based on UN demographic and social statistics at http://unstats.un.org/unsd/demographic/products/indwm/indwm2.htm
Help Design The Perfect Women's Event
What if you had the power to choose top Christian artists and speakers to create a phenomenal women's event? What if the topics and features were ones you specifically requested? Who would you select to appear at this event, tailored exclusively to Christian women? Does the thought make you giddy with excitement?
The good news is that YOU have a central role in selecting awesome Christian women for this event! Positive Christian Woman desires to give you top-notch speakers and artists that you enjoy and that you want to hear. This is no ordinary Christian women's event, because it is designed largely according to your feedback, and not by one person's programmed agenda.
We would love to hear from you. Help us serve you the finest Christian women's event around by providing us with your personal suggestions. We greatly value your input. Thank you for your part in helping us create successful and effective Christian women's events!
Help design the perfect women's event.
