'The plight of women in Iraq today has gone largely ignored, both within Iraqi society and by the international community. For more than five years, headlines have been dominated by political and social turmoil, the chaos of conflict and widespread violence. This has overshadowed the abysmal state of the civilian population’s day-to-day lives, a result of that very turmoil and violence.

Behind the headlines, essential services have collapsed, families have been torn apart and women in parti more...

'This report gathers people’s observations of climate change in Malawi and what it means for their lives and livelihoods. They describe rising temperatures, longer drier seasons and more intense and concentrated rainfall. The report shows how climate change interacts with poverty and environmental pressures to create a spiral into vulnerability. Women in particular suffer, having to spend even more time growing food and gathering increasingly scarce water and wood. Furthermore, anything that w more...

The extent of undernutrition in India is widespread but the exact magnitude
both
in absolute terms and in international comparison
varies considerably depending on
which indicator is consulted. The first aim of this article is to contrast the nutritional
situation in India to other parts of the world, based on two main methods for
characterising undernutrition. A further objective is to investigate to what extent
undernutrition in India has declined over time and how the inter-state differ more...

Highlights:


· On the composite index of food insecurity of rural India, states like Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh are found in the ‘very high’ level of food insecurity, followed by Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Gujarat. The indicators used for computing the index of food insecurity in rural India are: a) Percentage of population consuming less than 1,890 Kcal /cu/diem; b) Percentage of households not having access to safe drinking water; c) Percentage of households not having access to toile more...

In spite of the enshrining anti-poverty programs and objectives of the poverty eradication programs contained in India’s five year plans, women’s poverty in India, even after 58 years of independence, is glaring. This paper, based on a field survey, addresses the issues of economic constraints and the denial of women’s access to productive assets in the form of land ownership and human capital such as education, skill-training. The article contributes to the overall picture of female pover more...

'In Nigeria, women are often marginalized in their access to economic, political, and social resources compared to men, rendering them relatively poorer than their male counterparts. Important differences also exist between women and men in their contributions to agriculture, and in poverty, nutrition and food security levels. This review aims to provide insights into the performance of agricultural activities by gender, and provide a gender analysis of poverty, nutrition, and food security. Gen more...

The “Global Employment Trends for Women” by the International Labour Organisation (ILO), suggests that there is a gender aspect too, which is associated with the global economic downturn in terms of its impact on jobs. The report includes a new category called the vulnerable employed to denote own-account workers and unpaid family workers. These workers are in the informal or unorganised sector and are characterised by insecurity of employment, and have no social security, bargaining power o more...

'Anemia afflicts an estimated two billion people worldwide, mostly due to iron deficiency. It primarily affects women. Yet among adolescents, prevalence rates of anemia are closer for males and females in some parts of the world. The prevalence of anemia is disproportionately high in developing countries, due to poverty, inadequate diet, certain diseases, pregnancy and lactation, and poor access to health services. Young people are particularly susceptible because of their rapid growth and assoc more...

'Women play a vital role as agricultural producers and as agents of food and nutritional security. Yet relative to men, they have less access to productive assets such as land and services such as finance and extension. A variety of constraints impinge upon their ability to participate in collective action as members of agricultural cooperative or water user associations. In both centralized and decentralized governance systems, women tend to lack political voice.

Gender inequalities result i more...

The State of the World's Children 2009 examines critical issues in maternal and newborn health, underscoring the need to establish a comprehensive continuum of care for mothers, newborns and children. The report outlines the latest paradigms in health programming and policies for mothers and newborns, and explores policies, programmes and partnerships aimed at improving maternal and neonatal health. Africa and Asia are a key focus for this report, which complements the previous year's issue on c more...