Third world getting younger, but with high infant mortality

The developing world is set to reap the "demographic dividend" of having a young, earning population, but many of these youngsters may not survive long enough because of a low investment in reproductive health and education.

These are a few of the findings of the United Nations 'State of World Population 2005' report. The report says more than 50 per cent of the nearly six billion inhabitants on earth are under 25.

According to Hendrik Van Der Pol, the UN population fund representative in India, a gender-sensitive economic and welfare policy may change the story.

"Researchers estimate that the demographic dividend could reduce poverty in the developing countries by over 14 per cent between 2000 and 2015. Yet, the way infant mortality rates refuse to come down and laws of inheritance, which are skewed in favour of men, may lead to a different picture," he said while releasing the report.

The report makes a strong case for gender sensitivity in planning economic and welfare policies and backs up its recommendations with data.

In developed countries, women earn 77 cents to every dollar men earn, while in developing countries the figure is 73 cents to a dollar, the report says. Rural women in developing countries produce 60-80 per cent of food, but receive less than 10 per cent of loans for small farmers and only one per cent of agricultural credit.

Worldwide, over 60 per cent of people working in family enterprises without pay are women. The report also calls for measures against domestic and other kinds of violence against women. In India, women lose up to seven working days due to violence against them, usually in the domestic sphere, the report says.

The emphasis is on improving the reproductive health of women and investing more in education for a young, productive population. The report uses data from its own UN reports, but tries to make a strong case for gender-sensitive policies to reach Millenium Development Goals set forward by the UN.