Gender, Power, and Population Change
Population Bulletin, Vol. 52, No. 1, May 1997
by Nancy E. Riley
Introduction
Gender shapes the lives of all people in all societies. It
influences all aspects of our lives, the schooling we receive, the social roles we play,
and the power and authority we command. Population processes � where women and men live,
how they bear and rear children, and how they die � are shaped by gender as well.
Gender refers to the different roles men and women play in society, and to the relative
power they wield. While gender is expressed differently in different societies, in no
society do men and women perform equal roles or hold equal positions of power. The impact
of this inequality on women's lives varies tremendously. In the United States, for
example, this inequality is reflected by a glass ceiling, which keeps most women from
advancing to top levels of management. In some Asian societies, gender inequality can
compromise the basic health of women in poor families because they are the last in the
household to receive food and medical care.
Gender equality has gained wide acceptance as an important goal for many countries
around the world. The growing support for and attention to gender equality is bolstered by
the assumption that it would improve the lives of most people, especially those of women
and children. Many now consider enhancing gender equality to be a vital component of
population policies, as expressed by participants from 180 countries at the 1994
International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo. The participants
agreed on the principle "that advancing gender equality and equity and the
empowerment of women, and the elimination of all kinds of violence against women, and
ensuring women's ability to control their own fertility, are cornerstones of
population and development-related programmes." Whether
and how these declarations are put into action through policies and programs remains to be
seen in the next decades.
Most countries now acknowledge that gender and the extent of gender equality will
influence the timing and shape of demographic change. Recent research has explored these
relationships and has highlighted potential policy implications. In general, as the
differences between men's and women's roles diminish, women gain status and
power within a society and begin to control their reproductive lives. When women have more
autonomy, maternal and child health tends to improve, fertility and childhood mortality
tend to decline, and population growth slows.
When women have frequent and numerous births, their life choices are often restricted.
Their options increase if they have access to safe, effective means of controlling the
timing and number of their births. When women have fewer children, they face fewer years
of child care and they are freer to participate in activities in the public sphere, such
as paid employment or political office.
Decreasing the number and planning the timing of pregnancies reduce women's risk
of dying of pregnancy-related illnesses, especially in low-income countries. Child health
also tends to improve with more widely spaced births. Babies are less likely to have a low
birth weight if the mother has waited two or more years between pregnancies; and mothers
are better able to care for the physical needs of their children if births are fewer and
further apart.
Many governments expect population programs that promote gender equality also to
influence the timing and shape of demographic change. The growing adoption of these
policies makes it imperative to understand the relationship between gender and population
processes. However, research tells us that this relationship is not exact and is not the
same everywhere or at all times. Gender equality is not likely to translate automatically
into mortality or, especially, fertility decline, and both mortality and fertility
declines have occurred in places with little gender equality. Social scientists have
learned that they must look at the links between fertility, mortality, and gender
differences within a social and cultural context.
This Population Bulletin will explore the connections between gender and the
levels and trends in fertility and mortality. Its goal is to highlight how gender
interacts with population processes in the less industrialized world. The focus is on
fertility and mortality, although the third source of population change � migration � is
intricately connected with gender as well. Who moves, how far they move, how long they
stay away, and how closely they maintain ties and fulfill responsibilities to their
families and home communities are all influenced by gender.
Gender involves men as much as it does women, and the international commitment to
greater gender equity affects men and men's relative power. However, this Bulletin
will concentrate on women and women's roles in the society and economy.
The full text of this Population Bulletin is available in print only. Please visit our online store to order. Listed below are all the sections of this Bulletin.
Introduction
What Is Gender?
Differences Between Women and Men
Gender and Fertility and Mortality Change
Explaining Differentials and Change
Gender and Power
Gender in Population Policy
Looking Toward the Future
Suggested Resources
References
Related Publications
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