Women of the Third World experience deep injustices. They are the backbone and strength of their communities and yet their needs are rarely taken into account. Official statistics only measure work that is involved in the production of cash crops by paid labourers. They fail to recognise the invaluable role that women play as food producers for their families. Yet often government development officials have repeatedly failed to include women in the planning and implementation of projects intended to alleviate hunger and improve health.
Women are the largest group of landless people in the world.
They are overlooked in many development projects and they find it hard to get the training, seeds and tools they need to improve their work. Women and Health Most of the girls and women in the Third World do not get enough to eat. In many societies boy children are given preference when it comes to food and health care in the family. Half of all women aged between 15 and 49 suffer from anaemia and the percentage is much higher among pregnant women. This, together with malnutrition during pregnancy, can greatly damage a woman's health.