MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS ... - UNDP in Ukraine

cent are poor, 18 percent have an average incomeand 2 percent are rich.Higher education decreases the risk of povertyby 2.3 and increases the probability of obtainingan average income by 1.6. Also, it significantly influencesstandards of living, particularly consumerbehaviour. Furthermore, the share of people whosave is higher among those with higher education– 14 percent against 6 percent of those withoutsecondary education. Individuals with highereducation spend a larger share of funds (even iflimited) on educating their children; 90 percent ofpeople with higher education construct houseswith bank credit.A direct relationship between educational leveland competitiveness in the labour market is alsoobserved in Ukraine. It is worth noting the significantimpact of high levels of vocational andeducational training on increased economic activity.Even at over 70 years of age, 3.4 percentof the population with higher education stillwork, compared with 0.5 percent of those withouthigher education. A higher level of educationprovides better opportunities in the labour market:only 4.5 percent of people with higher educationare unemployed compared with 7.9 percentof people with incomplete higher educationand 15.6 percent with secondary education. Theshare of employees and employers is directlyproportional to educational level. There are threetimes more employers among those with completedhigher education than among those withsecondary education.Modern life is characterized by the rapid spreadof advanced information and communicationtechnologies in all spheres of life. They spreadfastest among those who can access informationalresources. Since information resources are notdecreased through sale or use, simplification ofaccess to them could contribute towards solvingone of the major problems of human development– overcoming inequality of access to differentsocio-economic and socio-cultural benefits.This would enable all members of society to accessappropriate knowledge on their social andeconomic environment, rules of behaviour andhealthy lifestyles and, finally, their rights.With respect to Goal 3: Ensure Gender Equality,education also influences gender disparities inemployment. Employment of women with secondaryeducation is significantly lower than thatof men (after reaching retirement age, uneducatedwomen stop working completely). The situationis less straightforward for people with highereducation, at least those over 45 years of age.In addition, among people with higher educationwho leave the labour force at a later age, womenof 65–69 years of age work more often than menof the same age, despite reaching the retirementage five years earlier.Gender disparities in relation to the risk of unemploymentdiffer according to the age group. Menover 50 are at significantly more risk of job lossthan women of the same age group, althoughthis is related to different retirement ages for menand women. Meanwhile, the gap between ruraland urban populations in relation to unemploymentrisks is generally wider. The high risk of unemploymentamong urban youth is caused bya lack of jobs for unskilled workers: a significantshare of the urban population attends school andreceives professional training up to 24 years ofage, unlike the rural population, which enters thelabour market significantly earlier.Inequality also means unequal responsibilities.Some population groups and some individuals,for different reasons, feel more able to take responsibilityfor their own lives and for the lives oftheir family and friends who largely depend onthem. Others prefer to wait until their problemsare resolved by others, mainly putting the onuson the authorities and the state.Dissatisfaction with the results of economic transformation(particularly, with increased inequality)has not resulted in increased citizenship and hasinstead generated despair and feelings of futilityamong certain population groups. This has resultedin a lack of motivation, most notably amongyouth. In January 2009, 35.1 percent of householdsinterviewed during a state Household Budget Survey(36.8 percent in 2007 data) felt that the stateshould be (fully or mostly) responsible for theirwell-being and only 9 percent thought that theythemselves should ensure their own well-being.Three-quarters of the population aged 15–49 citedlow income as the main reason for them postpon-CHAPTER ONE. UKRAINE: DEVELOPMENT DIMENSIONS 23