Category: Global Feminisim

Not only do early marriages limit girls’ access to education, but they also endanger their health. The leading cause of death for women 15 to 19 years old in developing countries is pregnancy and childbirth complications. Girls younger than 15 are five times more likely to die in childbirth than women in their 20s.

On April 9, 2012, the New York Times published an article about the strides women are making in Bangladesh . . . Despite the obstacles, Bangladesh has three percent more women in elected positions than the United States. In addition, it has had female heads of state for decades — an advancement the U.S. has not been able to make during its 200-plus years of independence.

Obstetric fistula is a preventable injury during childbirth that can cause a lifetime of incontinence, extreme social isolation and even human rights violations for women if left untreated. Today an estimated two million women, primarily in developing countries, are living with obstetric fistula (it is more rare within industrialized nations because of access to better medical care).