NEW YORK -- A growing number of countries have adopted population and development policies to meet the health-care and education needs of women, including their reproductive health needs. In spite of that, gender inequality persists in most countries around the world. According to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) state of world population report 2005, gender inequality hinders not only the growth of affected individuals but also the evolution of societies and the development of countries.

Greater equality in the power relations between women and men, combined with increased access to adequate reproductive health services would save the lives of thousands of women. In addition to its effects on health of women, gender inequality undermines the possibility of reducing their poverty. Several studies have shown that societies with the greatest gender discrimination are poorer, have slower economic growth and lower quality of life than those with with less discrimination.

Although 99 percent of maternal deaths during pregnancy and delivery are preventable, it has been estimated that 529,000 women died from complications of pregnancy and childbirth in 2000. That is the equivalent of one maternal death every minute, almost all occurring in developing countries. In addition, for every woman who dies during pregnancy and delivery approximately 20 more suffer serious harm -- adding up to between 10 and 20 million mostly preventable injuries a year. Maternal deaths are practically nonexistent in industrialized countries.