In places like India and China, abortion is often used to dispose of unwanted girls before they are even born. Those who are allowed to live may succumb later, because they are more likely than boys to be shortchanged in nutrition and medical care. It's hard to lift yourself up if you're busy holding someone else down, and discrimination against females turns out to be bad for everyone. Besides serving as a drag on economic development, it can amount to a death sentence for children of both sexes. In Kenya, for example, 10.9 percent of children born to uneducated women die before their fifth birthday, compared to 7.2 percent of children whose mothers finished elementary school.
Educated women are more likely to use contraception, reducing population growth.
Education also promotes democracy and individual rights, expanding opportunities for males as well as females. In fact, the democratization of East Asia has been led by countries like South Korea and Taiwan, which have long stressed the importance of education for all. Although the report doesn't say so, the wave of liberalization that has washed over much of the planet in recent years has improved the lot of women and will continue to do so. The elimination of barriers to international trade and investment exposes oppressive cultures to new ideas, which help dissolve the fetters binding women. It's not so much to ask, but in most of the world, it's a long time coming.