UNFPA Background Guide - National Model United Nations

maternal and newborn mortality. 181 In fact, access to maternal care was more similar for urban poor women to rural
poor women than their urban wealthy counterparts. 182 It is worth noting that whilst most modern urban growth is
from natural growth, rather than migration, fertility rates compared to the countryside are lower. 183 In one example,
it was found that fertility rates for women living in Greater Cairo, Egypt were lowest at the center, and highest at
peri-urban areas at the edges. 184 This can be attributed to high upbringing costs, different lifestyles, marrying older,
and better access to contraception. 185
Social norms set the expectation that women take primary responsibility for domestic and care activities. 186 As such,
economic downturns have a gendered effect since women are concentrated in low-income forms of work, resulting
in an “informalization” of their employment. 187 Untaxed, unregulated, mostly cash-based, transactions of both goods
and services are a large part of the informal economy. 188 Informal workers can range from fruit sellers, to taxi
drivers, to building contractors. Informal workers have little safety when it comes to property rights or legal
protection, and face difficulties accessing insurance. 189 As such, they cannot manage shocks to their income in the
case of illness, disability, or unemployment. 190 They have little access to mainstream development services,
resources, or labor market institutions. 191
A significant amount of people worldwide earn their living via informal employment; it accounts for 48% of nonagricultural
employment in North Africa, 72% in sub-Saharan Africa, 65% in Asia, and 51% in Latin America. 192
From a macro-economic perspective, informal workers are deigned “free riders” that accrue benefits of the system
without contributing to its survival. This leads to a smaller number of businesses to tax, so to offset the decrease in
tax revenues, larger businesses are taxed more, driving off investment. 193 This ultimately creates a burden on
society, with fewer resources available for social services and public infrastructure, exacerbating urban poverty. 194
Case Study: Slums of Nairobi, Kenya
Over half (about 2 million) of Nairobi’s residents live in informal settlements. 195 They have very limited access to
public services such as health care, education, clean water, or sanitation. 196 The numbers are quite distressing; up to
68 percent relied on shared toilet/latrine facilities, and only 24 percent of residents have access on a household level
(as per the Nairobi Water & Sewage Company). 197 Most toilet facilities are latrines, which need to be emptied
periodically to remain functional. 198 A study found that in one area, up to 150 people on average shared a latrine. 199
According to World Health Organization (WHO) standards, these shared latrines cannot be considered “improved
sanitation.” 200 In addition to being few in number, these latrines are usually distanced away from homes, from 100 to
300 meters and more. Community and non-governmental organization (NGO) initiatives have introduced a limited
number of hygienic toilets, but these are both costly to use and are open for only part of the day. 201
181
Tacoli, Urbanization, Gender and Urban Poverty: Paid Work and Unpaid Carework In The City, 2012, p. 24.
182
Ibid., p. 25.
183
National Research Council, Cities Transformed: Demographic Change and Its Implications in the Developing World. 2003, p.
69.
184
Ibid.
185
Tacoli, Urbanization, Gender and Urban Poverty: Paid Work and Unpaid Carework In The City, 2012, p. 8.
186
Ibid., p. 31.
187
Ibid., p. 30.
188
International Labor Organization, Resource Guide On The Informal Economy [Website], 2012.
189
World Bank, Informal = Illegal? Think Again [Website], 2012.
190
Ibid.
191
International Labour Organization, Informal Economy [Website].
192
International Labour Organization, Women and Men in the Informal Economy: A Statistical Picture, 2002. p. 7.
193
World Bank, Informal = Illegal? Think Again [Website], 2012.
194
Ibid.
195
Amnesty International, Insecurity and Indignity: Women's Experiences in the Slums of Nairobi, Kenya, 2010, p.45.
196
Ibid., p.5.
197
Ibid., p.17.
198
Ibid., p.20.
199
Ibid., p. 18.
200
Ibid., p. 18.
201
Ibid., p. 18.
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