Taking action: achieving gender equality and empowering women

54 Chapter 4
Sexual and
reproductive
health and
rights are
important for
gender equality
in education
and access
to economic
resources,
as well as
for women’s
empowerment
HIV. Outside the health system sexuality education programs are needed to
lay the foundation for improved sexual and reproductive health outcomes.
Ultimately, these interventions must be supported by an enabling policy and
political environment that guarantees women’s and girls’ sexual and reproductive
rights. Current threats to those rights must be opposed if Goal 3 is to be
achieved.
Why guaranteeing sexual and reproductive health and rights is a
strategic priority
Goal 4 on child mortality, Goal 5 on maternal mortality, and Goal 6 on HIV/
AIDS cover only limited aspects of sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Yet, a large body of evidence shows that sexual and reproductive health and
rights are central to women’s ability to build their capabilities, take advantage
of economic and political opportunities, and control their destinies. 2 For
this reason, the task force has identified guaranteeing sexual and reproductive
health and rights as a strategic priority for achieving gender equality and the
empowerment of women.
Today, these rights are threatened by actions to limit and withdraw funding
from effective reproductive health programs, censor or distort information
and research on comprehensive health interventions and issues, and renege
on previous international agreements on sexual and reproductive health and
rights. Such actions threaten the progress of the last 10 years in improving
women’s reproductive health and may worsen the reproductive health status of
poor women around the world.
Links between reproductive health and other domains of gender equality
Sexual and reproductive health and rights are important for gender equality
in education and access to economic resources, as well as for women’s
empowerment.
Education. The links between secondary education and reproductive health are
discussed in chapter 3. Note, too, that early marriage reduces girls’ access to
education and that anticipation of an early marriage often precludes secondary
education for girls (Huq and Amin 2001).
Economic resources. Access to reproductive health is often a precondition for
access to economic assets and resources and opportunities to employ them
productively. For example, access to family planning allows women to balance
the size of their family and timing of their children with their need and
desire to earn income, as many studies have shown. The ability to control their
fertility also allows women to seek additional education or training, prepares
them for better employment, and permits them to take part in other desirable
activities such as community affairs (Family Health International 1998). For