Women also play a critical role in their national economies, and their physical well-being determines their ability to be productive. Data on women's contribution to development, while still tentative, indicate that women are responsible for up to three-quarters of the food and cash crops produced annually in the developing world. In Africa, women produce 80 percent of the food consumed domestically and at least 50 percent of export crops. However, women's wages for the same or similar work are substantially lower than men's. In parts of Asia and Africa, women earn 50 percent less than men.
Women work longer hours than men in every country except Australia, Canada and the United States.
Therefore, female ill health has a substantial impact on productivity and economic development. Ill health impedes women's ability to work and earn money, and burdens them and the economy with increased health care costs. Investments in women's health programs not only improve a woman's health status and the survival and health of her family, such investments increase the labor supply, productive capacity and economic well-being of communities. Cost-Effective Interventions to Improve Women's Health Improvements in women's health are not only critical to development, they are feasible and affordable. Of the many health sector interventions discussed in the World Development Report, safe motherhood interventions were found to be among the most cost-effective.