PRB Topic Feed: Gender

2009 World Population Data Sheet

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:21:15 EST

Global population numbers are on track to reach 7 billion in 2011, just 12 years after reaching 6 billion in 1999. Virtually all of the growth is in developing countries. And the growth of the world’s youth population (ages 15 to 24) is shifting into the poorest of those countries. The Population Reference Bureau's 2009 World Population Data Sheet and its summary report offer detailed information about country, regional, and global population patterns. (August 2009)

World Population Highlights: Key Findings From PRB's 2009 World Population Data Sheet

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:21:15 EST

Population change will shape the prospects of regions and countries over the next half century. Future population growth will be almost entirely in the developing world, with the fastest growth in the poorest countries and regions. This Population Bulletin is a companion to PRB's 2009 World Population Data Sheet and provides data and analysis on world population trends, youth, gender, and the environment. (August 2009)

Youth, Women's Rights, and Political Change in Iran

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:21:15 EST

Recent political developments in Iran highlight the country's demographic and social shifts over the past 20 years. One in three Iranians is between the ages of 15 and 29. Furthermore, 60 percent of the Iranian population is under 30, born around the 1979 Islamic revolution or after. This youth bulge, along with changes in women's fertility and reproductive health, provide a backdrop for understanding Iran's current political instability. (July 2009)

Gender Differences in Health Among the Elderly in China

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:21:15 EST

Men and women face distinct challenges in late life. Paradoxically, men tend to have shorter lives but women have more health problems at any given age. Addressing why women live longer but have more health problems and why men die earlier can help reduce health care and long-term care costs for the elderly and narrow the gender health gap. Toshiko Kaneda, Population Reference Bureau; Zachary Zimmer, University of Utah; and Xianghua Fang and Zhe Tang, Capital Medical University, examined a sample of older adults in Beijing to determine gender differences in health and mortality after a five-year period. (June 2009)

PRB Discuss Online: Explaining India's Deficit of Girls

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:21:15 EST

India, along with China and several other countries, has a history of neglect for girls and women that produced lower female survival rates and an imbalanced ratio of males to females. In recent years, male-to-female sex ratios at birth and among children in India have increased much more than can be explained solely by discrimination against girls. There is evidence that technologies like portable sonogram machines have made it easy to detect the sex of a fetus, enabling families to abort a female fetus if they do not want a(nother) daughter. In spite of a ban on sex-detection tests and sex-selective abortion, the practice has continued, raising questions about the value and rights of women in this society. Leela Visaria, researcher and president of the Asian Population Association, answered questions during a PRB Discuss Online, on the issues surrounding the status of women and the imbalanced ratio of males to females in India. Read a transcript of the questions and answers. (June 2009)

The Changing Demography of U.S. Flight Attendants

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:21:15 EST

Over the last several decades, many industries have experienced significant structural changes that have affected their employees. The airline industry, for example, has faced major policy and economic forces that have changed the demography of its workers, especially its flight attendants. Flight attendants have become older compared with the overall U.S. workforce over the last several decades. The ongoing economic crisis suggests that the population of flight attendants will age even more in the coming years as many workers are likely to postpone their retirement. (June 2009)

PRB Discuss Online: Abandoning Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:21:15 EST

As many as 140 million girls and women worldwide have undergone female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), and more than 3 million girls are at risk for cutting each year on the African continent alone. FGM/C is almost impossible for individuals to abandon without support from their social networks, most notably within their intramarrying groups. Through Tostan, an organization dedicated to empowering women, adolescent girls, and their communities, innovative and courageous individuals have mobilized communities to abandon the practice through cross-cutting educational programs and attention to human rights within each community's social context and culture. Molly Melching, founder and executive director of Tostan, answered participants questions on the challenges and successes of Tostan's work to curb genital cutting in Senegal and several other African countries. Read a transcript of the questions and answers. (February 2009)

Commemorating International Day of Zero Tolerance to Female Genital Mutilation

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:21:15 EST

An estimated 100 million to 140 million girls and women have undergone female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and more than 3 million girls are at risk for cutting each year on the African continent alone. FGM/C poses serious physical and mental health risks for women and young girls and since the early 1990s, FGM/C has gained recognition as a health and human rights issue. February 6 was adopted by the UN Sub-Commission on Human Rights as the International Day of Zero Tolerance to FGM and ceremonies marking this day have taken place around the world. PRB marks Zero Tolerance to FGM Day by highlighting our work to bring attention to and present accurate data on this practice that affects millions of women and young girls worldwide. (February 2009)

Combating Cross-Generational Sex in Uganda

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:21:15 EST

Cross-generational sex—or Sugar Daddy syndrome—is a pattern of sexual behavior between young women and much older men that brings increased health risks and consequences for young women. In most cases of cross-generational sex, the women are ages 15 to 19 years old and unmarried; their male partners are at least 10 years older. Sadly, too few large-scale interventions have been undertaken to combat this risky behavior and even fewer have been evaluated to show how well they actually work. However, in Uganda, an important collaboration between the government, local organizations, and USAID may be leading the way. (February 2009)

Empowering Women's Voices on Reproductive Health in the Media

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:21:15 EST

On Nov. 10, women journalists from 12 countries representing four continents gathered at PRB to equip themselves with information to reach out to those who need reproductive health services. The weeklong seminar covered key topics in reproductive health as part of PRB's Women's Edition project. (December 2008)

2007 Occupational Profiles Reveal Wide Gender, Racial Gaps in Science and Engineering Employment

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:21:15 EST

PRB has created a series of occupational profiles that highlight the uneven participation of women and minorities in the science and engineering labor force. The data, from the Census Bureau's 2007 American Community Survey (ACS), show variations in earnings, education, and the participation of minorities, women, and foreign-born workers in the high-tech economy. The ACS provides information about 47 separate science and engineering occupations, ranging from actuaries to urban planners. These occupational profiles are part of a series of PRB products about the science and engineering workforce in the United States, funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation. (December 2008)

Sex Ratio at Birth Deteriorating Among Asian Immigrants in the United States

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:21:15 EST

A new study in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences reports on a sex ratio that favors boys among U.S.-born children in Indian, Korean, and Chinese families. Using the 1990 and 2000 decennial censuses, the study found that the ratio of male to female births is much higher if the first child is a girl and even higher, by as much as 50 percent, if the first two children are girls. (November 2008)

What Explains the Disparities Between Men's and Women's Health?

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:21:15 EST

Worldwide, men have higher mortality and greater disability than women. In nearly every country, they die at younger ages. Why, then, is the international health community so concerned about women's health disadvantages? A new fact sheet from the Disease Control Priorites Project explains that just because women live longer, they do not necessarily have better health. (November 2008)

Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting: Data and Trends

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:21:15 EST

Female genital mutilation/cutting poses serious physical and mental health risks for women and young girls, especially for women who have undergone extreme forms of the procedure. According to a Population Reference Bureau data sheet, an estimated 100 million to 140 million girls and women worldwide have undergone female genital mutilation/cutting and more than 3 million girls are at risk for cutting each year on the African continent alone. (September 2008)

Sex Ratio at Birth Begins to Improve in India

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:21:15 EST

There has been increasing international news coverage of the highly skewed sex ratio at birth in India resulting from the abortion of female fetuses. The strong preference for sons is especially evident in some Indian states where the ratio of boy to girl babies is extremely high, but the practice of sex-selective abortion to ensure a male child has been documented in many parts of India and among Indians living abroad. But news media have not yet reported new evidence that the situation in India, while still very serious, has begun to improve. This improvement is due, in no small part, to efforts by the central and state governments to discourage the abortion of female fetuses. (August 2008)

PRB in the Field: Women's Edition Meets in Johannesburg

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:21:15 EST

In early April, the Population Reference Bureau assembled a group of eight women journalists from seven developing countries in South Africa to participate in a weeklong seminar on the causes and consequences of rape and other violence against women. The eight journalists are members of PRB's global network called Women's Edition, funded by USAID. Johannesburg was chosen as the venue for a seminar on gender-based violence because it has one of the world's highest rates of rape. (May 2008)

Ensuring a Wide Range of Family Planning Choices

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:21:15 EST

The use of contraception varies widely around the world, both in terms of total use and the types of methods used. In many countries, women and couples rely largely on one or two contraceptive methods, because of government policies, the way that national family planning programs have evolved, and cultural or social preferences. Understanding why people prefer some contraceptive methods over others can be useful for strengthening family planning programs. (April 2008)

Fertility Declining in the Middle East and North Africa

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:21:15 EST

Population growth of the mainly Arab countries of the Middle East and North Africa has been slowed by a veritable revolution in marriage and childbearing in recent decades. While a young population structure ensures momentum for future growth, the pace has slackened thanks to fertility declines in some of the region’s largest countries. (April 2008)

Women Prevail Against Violence

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:21:15 EST

Mama Joyce and Josephine are unlikely heroines. Both women were brought low by abusive husbands who beat them, took away their dignity and choices, and left them with AIDS. Yet both women emerged as heroines in "SASA! A Film About Women, Violence and HIV/AIDS." This film tells the story of how these courageous women triumphed over gender-based violence and HIV/AIDS and gained power that helped them organize, become activists in their communities, and build meaningful and rewarding lives. (January 2008)

PRB Discuss Online: "Gender Equality and the Family"

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:21:15 EST

The gender revolution in the public sphere has continued apace throughout the industrialized world. Women are leading countries and holding prestigious positions in government, business, and academia. But in the private sphere of the family, much less change has occurred. Women still shoulder most of the responsibilities. For women to reach equality with men, these inequities in the public and private spheres need to be addressed. Fran Goldscheider, professor emeritus at Brown University and professor at the University of Maryland, led a PRB Discuss Online on this topic. Read a transcript of the questions and answers. (November 2007)

Gender Disparities in Health and Mortality

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:21:15 EST

Gender differences in mortality and life expectancy vary by country. But in most countries, men live shorter lives than women. In Russia, for instance, the difference between male and female life expectancy is 13 years (59 vs. 72). In other countries, such as the United States, the male disadvantage is smaller: 5 years (75 vs. 80). And in some countries, such as Afghanistan, there is little or no male disadvantage (42 vs. 42). (November 2007)

PRB's Women's Edition Journalists Cover 'Women Deliver' Conference

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:21:15 EST

At Women Deliver, a global conference marking the 20th anniversary of the launch of the global Safe Motherhood Initiative, more than 1,800 people gathered in London from Oct. 18 to 20, to focus on creating the political will to save the lives and improve the health of women, mothers, and newborns around the world. Nine members of PRB's Women's Edition, a network of journalists, covered the conference, reporting and writing articles for the conference newsletter. (November 2007)

Community Theater and Peer Education Help Tanzanians Discuss HIV and Gender-Based Violence

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:21:15 EST

Cheza Chezeka is unfaithful to his partner, engages in unsafe sex, and acquires a sexually transmitted infection. Fikirini, on the other hand, learns how to communicate and resist sexual temptation and peer pressure. Tino Mashakani abuses his girlfriend and brags about his violent behavior to his friends until one of them steps forward with advice on how to stop the violence. Each of these dramatic characters was developed by the Tuelimishane project in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Tuelimishane used community-based theater and peer education to heighten awareness of HIV and gender-based violence and change behaviors. (September 2007)

World Population Highlights 2007: Overview of World Population

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 07:21:15 EST

We entered the 20th century with 1.6 billion people. We entered the 21st century with 6.1 billion people. And in 2007, world population is 6.6 billion. The increase in the size of the human population in the last half-century is unprecedented. And nearly all of the growth is occurring in the less developed countries. Currently, 80 million people are being added every year in less developed countries, compared with about 1.6 million in more developed countries. While the less developed countries will keep growing, the more developed countries may grow slowly or not at all. This article is excerpted from the Population Bulletin: "World Population Highlights: Key Findings From PRB's 2007 World Population Data Sheet.(September 2007)