Development Cooperation Handbook/Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women

The 8 MDGs - index

Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women


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MDG 3: Promote gender equality and empower women


Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women edit

Most women of the world obtain much less education and earn much less money than  men. Women are much less represented than men at political and managerial levels.

The MDG 3 tackles gender inequality and promotes the empowerment of women.

Global data shows that the poorer the country, the higher the gender inequality.

In the world today, two out of every three illiterate persons are women. 

Gender equality is a determining factor of development. What is needed is to create a virtuous circle of empowered women who generate stronger and healthier families which set the stage for more prosperous and just societies.  




MDG 3 - Targets edit

Target 4: Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education preferably by 2005, and at all levels by 2015

  • Ratios of girls to boys in primary, secondary and tertiary education
  • Ratio of literate females to males 15-24 years old
  • Share of women in wage employment in the non-agricultural sector
  • Proportion of seats held by women in national parliament



Hard Facts
  • Men continue to outnumber women in paid employment; however, the share of women in paid non-agricultural wage employment is increasing, having globally reached 41% in 2008;
  • Gender gaps in access to education have narrowed but disparities remain high in university-level education in some developing regions;
  • The share of women employed outside of agriculture remains as low as 20% in Southern Asia, Northern Africa and Western Asia, and 32% in sub-Saharan Africa.
  • In 2008, there were 96 girls for every 100 boys enrolled in primary school, and 95 girls for every 100 boys in secondary school in developing regions.
  • The share of women in parliament, on a global level, increased from 11% in 1995 to 19% in 2010;
  • In 2009, the average share of women elected to parliament was 27% as compared to 14% in countries that did not apply quotas and other preferential measures


Edited Stories related to the MDG3 edit

  ⇒ Weaving Empowerment
Village Business Incubator -  playlist



















  Petifu Chain playlist


Testimonials edit

Rekha Chauhan (Secretary MSS) Interview about Women Empowerment    
The importance of economic empowerment of women as a civilization issue - S.Kumar












See also edit

  On YouTube ⇒ playlist

 MDG 3: Promote gender equality and empower women

Development Cooperation Stories :

 Village Business Incubator
 Women as Entrepreneurs - Petifu Chain
 Weaving Empowerment
 SKILLS - Training Young Syrian Journalists
 Fostering Social and Economic Empowerment among Women