Yet cultural traditions, scant economic resources and limited opportunities marginalize young girls. Young boys have better access to health care, nutrition and education. Gender bias is reinforced throughout adulthood as men retain economic and political power. Equality of opportunity empowers women and girls to make knowledgeable decisions about their health and fertility, and envision identities unbound by sexual marital and mothering roles. Adolescents reach adulthood in societies that undervalue the contributions of women and perpetuate harmful gender stereotypes.
Few countries guarantee women equal rights within marriage, divorce and family property.
Governments and nongovernmental organizations must continue social and political efforts to ensure gender equality, provide better opportunities for, and facilitate the education of young women. 1 South Korea, nearly 80,000 female fetuses were aborted between 1986 and 1990, about 5 percent of all female births. In China, the number of male births per 100 female births had increased from 108.0 in late 1986 to 109.7 in 1991. In China, unwanted children put up for adoption are three times more likely to be girls. A study in rural Punjab revealed that between the ages of one and 23 months, female mortality rates are nearly twice those of males.