Gender and the Millenium Development Goals in Latin America Relevance and Implications

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Gender and the Millenium Development Goals in
Latin AmericaRelevance and Implications
Mayra Buvinic Chief, Social Programs
Division Inter-American Development Bank November
2003
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• The state of affairs the MDGs in Latin America
  (UNDP)
• Poverty, gender and exclusion
• The missing indicator

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LA has met the gender equality MDG and is close
to meeting the primary schooling MDG
Primary Education
Gender Equality
100
100
95
90
50
85
0
80
1980
1990
2000
2010
2020
1992
1998
2004
2010
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but is way behind schedule in meeting thepoverty
reduction MDG
Poverty
40
35
30
25
20
15
1990
1999
2015
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1. averages mask distributional issues 2.
problems with quality of data 3. problems
with the textual goal if not adapted and
calibrated
How come?
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LA is the most unequal region in the world
Income Inequality in World Regions
0.60
0.51
0.50
0.46
0.38
0.37
0.40
0.34
0.33
0.29
0.30
0.20
0.10
0.00
Eastern
Developed
Rest of
South East
Middle
Africa
Latin
Europe
Asia
Asia
East
America
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which means that in schooling while the average
girl does best, indigenous girls do worst
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and their earnings are lowest, despite same
schooling
Differences in returns to secondary (indigenous
and non indigenous women)
0
-0.005
-0.01
-0.015
-0.02
-0.025
-0.03
-0.035
Peru
Brazil
Bolivia
Guatemala
Source S. Duryea, "Measuring Social Exclusion",
Research Department, IDB, 2001.
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the quality of data for many indicators is very
poor
MMRs (1990-2000)

Source Medici (2003).
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regional inequalities in MMRs
MMRs in Argentina by regions (2002)
197
159
43
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Source Medici (2003).
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In LA gender inequality emerges later in life
cycle
Unemployment by gender (urban areas, 15-24 years
old) 7 countries
Source IPES, 2003.
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gender deepens poverty
household poverty per capita by gender (urban)
1999
Source IDB Poverty Strategy.
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and it interacts with race and ethnicity
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gender is key for poverty reduction
low income womens schooling and earnings break
ITP
Height for age
Source M. Buvinic. The Costs of Adolescent
Childbearing Evidence from Chile,
Barbados, Guatemala and Mexico, Studies in
Family Planning Vol. 29, Nº 2 June 1998
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the missing variable for attaining most goals is
reproductive health
Source Brazilian National DST and AIDS program
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Key messages

• indicators need disaggregation (income, gender,
  race, ethnicity)
• goals have to be adapted, calibrated
• social exclusion and gender analytical
  dimensions to understand poverty in LA

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• With these considerations, MDGs can become
  powerful instruments for gender and social
  equality in LA