But the positive statistics often have a corresponding negative - and the gap between women North and South is widening. Over the past 20 years average life expectancy has increased from 71.0 to 74.6 years in 'developed' regions, and from 54.5 to 62.4 years in 'developing' countries. 1 Life expectancy Improvements in female life expectancy may be jeopardized by prolonged economic recession, poorly designed structural-adjustment policies, growing environmental health problems and the AIDS pandemic. More women and girls are being educated.
Younger women are now more likely to be educated than their mothers.
The percentage of women with no formal education has been more than halved in a single generation. And of the 960 million illiterate people in the world, two-thirds are women. 1 Health Women everywhere are having fewer children and marrying later. Increased education has a marked effect in improving maternal and family health. 1 Health Maternal death rates are 15 to 50 times greater in the developing world than in most developed countries.