The Programme of Action declares equality to be an ethically mandated end in itself. Improving women's political, social, and economic status, and improving women's health, are also essential for slowing population growth and achieving sustainable development. The effects of discrimination against females are pervasive.
Women perform much of the world's labour and receive very little of the pay.
They are frequently the financial mainstay of their families. Their lack of Education can mean that ignorance is passed on to succeeding generations, particularly their daughters. They often have little or no say in the number, spacing, and timing of their husbands puts them at risk of disease and death. Less obvious, but also damaging, a kind of gender-blindness has led researchers to ignore the special needs of women, so that the resulting policies do not serve their needs. Projects that women want and need badly, such as piping water into villages, thereby saving the women thousands of hours of water-carrying, tend to be ignored.