In 1997, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights reiterated that women's rights are fundamental human rights. Women's social status and access to education, employment and health care are closely linked to economic development. Women often face legal and institutional barriers to economic activity outside the home, including laws or customs that deny them the right to own land, inherit property, establish credit or move up in their field of work. Enhancement of their productive roles is especially important for women whose status in society has been dependent solely on their reproductive capabilities. In the absence of other sources of status, a woman's ability to decide about a marriage partner or family size is limited This is true for women in all countries.
Education is a critical ingredient in the empowerment process.
Of the 960 million illiterate adults in the world, two thirds are female. The ICPD Programme of Action calls for universal enrolment in primary school by the year 2015, a time line influenced by the magnitude of the task. And while enrolment in primary and secondary school totals nearly 900 million children worldwide, there are about 85 million fewer girls than boys enrolled. The level of education achieved by a woman is also strongly associated with both lower infant mortality and lower fertility. In poorer countries, where access to health care is often limited, each additional year of schooling is associated with a 5 to 10 per cent decline in child deaths.