The Power and Promise of Girls' Education - Save the Children

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Appendix B THE MOTHERS’ INDEX & COUNTRY RANKINGS 36 THE POWER AND PROMISE OF GIRLS’ EDUCATION
The sixth annual Mothers’ Index helps document conditions for mothers and children in 110 countries – 19 developed nations and 91 in the developing world – and shows where mothers fare best and where they face the greatest hardships. All countries for which sufficient data were available are included in the Index. Why should Save the Children be so concerned with mothers? Because more than 70 years of field experience has taught us that the quality of children’s lives depends on the health, security and well-being of their mothers. In short, providing mothers with access to education, economic opportunities and maternal and child health care, including family planning, gives mothers and their children the best chance to survive and thrive. The Index relies on information published by governments, research institutions and international agencies. The Complete Mothers’ Index, based on a composite of separate indices for women’s and children’s well-being, appears in the fold-out table in this Appendix. A full description of the research methodology and individual indicators (briefly described below) appears after the fold-out. The six indicators of women’s well-being are: • Lifetime risk of maternal mortality • Percent of women using modern contraception • Percent of births attended by trained personnel • Percent of pregnant women with anemia • Adult female literacy rate • Participation of women in national government The four indicators of children’s well-being are: • Infant mortality rate • Gross primary enrollment ratio • Percent of population with access to safe water • Percent of children under age 5 suffering from moderate or severe nutritional wasting Scandinavian countries “sweep” the top positions while countries in sub-Saharan Africa dominate the lowest tier. While industrialized countries cluster tightly at the top of the Index – with the majority of these countries performing well on all indicators – the highest-ranking countries attain very high scores for mothers’ and children’s health and educational status. The United States places 11th this year. The 10 bottom-ranked countries in this year’s Mothers’ Index are a reverse image of the top 10, performing poorly on all indicators. Conditions for mothers and their children in these countries are devastating. • On average, 1 in 19 mothers will die in her lifetime from pregnancy-related causes. • 1 in 10 children dies before his or her first birthday. • 1 in 8 children suffers from malnutrition. • Nearly 1 in 4 children is not attending primary school. • Only 1 in 3 adult women is literate. 2005 Mothers’ Index Top 10* Bottom 10 Rank Country 1 Sweden 2 Denmark 3 Finland 4 Austria 5 Germany 6 Netherlands 7 Norway 8 Canada 9 Australia 10 United Kingdom * The United States ranks 11th. * Tie Rank Country 100* Cambodia 100* Eritrea 102 Gambia 103 Nepal 104 Mauritania 105 Congo, Democratic Republic of the 106 Yemen 107 Chad 108 Ethiopia 109* Burkina Faso 109* Mali SAVE THE CHILDREN 37
Page 1 and 2: State of the WORLD’S MOTHERS 2005
Page 3 and 4: The Power and Promise of Girls’ E
Page 5 and 6: Foreword It’s the greatest lesson
Page 7 and 8: and 2000, are Bolivia, Kenya and Ca
Page 9 and 10: The quality of children’s lives d
Page 11 and 12: Missing the Mark: 58 Million Girls
Page 13 and 14: The Power of Girls’ Education to
Page 15 and 16: invest their earnings in health car
Page 17 and 18: 70 60 50 40 30 20 10 0 When Women P
Page 19 and 20: Educate Girls Today and Create Last
Page 21 and 22: three received large numbers of ref
Page 23 and 24: Girls’ Education Progress Report
Page 25 and 26: Forecasts for Children 11 COUNTRIES
Page 27 and 28: needed, use family planning and rai
Page 29 and 30: However, despite good progress, a c
Page 31 and 32: school, unsafe roads on the way to
Page 33 and 34: Take Action for Girls! Make a World
Page 35 and 36: The first-ever Girls’ Education P
Page 37: Progress Report Methodology & Resea
Page 41 and 42: What the Numbers Don’t Tell You
Page 43 and 44: The Complete Mothers’ Index 2005
Page 45 and 46: Country Women’s Index Children’
Page 47 and 48: Mothers’ Index Methodology & Rese
Page 49 and 50: Percent of population with access t
Page 51 and 52: Credits Managing Editor/Writer Trac

The Power and Promise of Girls' Education - Save the Children

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