The employment-to-population ratio (Figure MDG1.2) indicates the extent to which economies use the productive potential of men and women: 60 to 80 per cent of all men, but only 20 to 65 per cent of all women are employed, indicating serious gender gaps across all regions. The female employment-to-population ratio further dips to 34 and 22 per cent, respectively, in South Asia and the Middle East and North America.

Figure MDG1.2: Disparities in Levels of Employment Between Men and Women Are Shrinking, but at a Slow Pace

Across all regions, employment-to-population ratios are significantly higher for men compared to women, with a gender gap that ranges from 15% in developed regions to more than 40% in South Asia and the Middle East and North Africa.

Notes:The employment to population ratio is defined as the number of employed persons, calculated as a percentage of the working-age population. This indicator provides information about the ability of the economy to create jobs. Regional averages are calculated by ILO using UNIFEM's regional classification. The value labels shown are for 2007.
Sources: ILO Key Indicators of the Labour Market database; ILO (2008); and estimates provided by ILO to UNIFEM on request.

Global data on extreme poverty is not disaggregated by sex, and it is therefore difficult to see how far women and girls enjoy recently reported gains in reducing poverty and hunger. There has been a significant reduction in poverty: The proportion of people living on less than US$1 a day fell significantly from 31.6 per cent in 1990 to 19.2 per cent in 2004. One-fifth of the world's population, however–about 980 million people–still lives in poverty. Recent reports indicate that, in spite of the serious remaining obstacles, it may be possible to meet the 2015 target. Particular attention needs to be paid to the fact that poverty reduction seems to have been accompanied by rising inequality. Child hunger has declined at a much slower pace, from 33 per cent in 1990 to only 27 per cent in 2005; at this rate, it is likely that the 2015 target will be missed.

While global progress is important, national-level data indicate that women are still more likely than men to be poor and at risk of hunger because of the systematic discrimination they face in access to education, healthcare and control of assets. For example, in South Africa, two-thirds of female-headed households are poor, compared to only one-third of male-headed households. In Malawi, there are three poor women for every poor man, and this proportion is increasing. Data on child poverty is not sex-disaggregated, and thus it is impossible to assess girls' progress in hunger or poverty mitigation.