SOUTH Asia is the only region where women currently head the government or state machinery in two (Bangladesh and Sri Lanka) out of seven countries. India and Pakistan have also been ruled by female prime ministers. But the current political, social and economic status of women in South Asia is a different matter. Only one-third of the adult women in the region have received some education. On an average, women spend just 14 months in school.
The health status of these women is insecure. They are often the last to be fed in the household and they carry the greatest burden of work. Married women are often burdened with unwanted pregnancies, since only 39 per cent of married couples use any form of contraception. The average fertility rate is still very high, at 4.2 per married woman.
The economic opportunities for women are fairly limited. Only 36 per cent of the female population is economically active in the region, compared to the average of 50 per cent in the developing world.
What is most surprising in a region with so many elected female heads of governments is the political marginalisation of the majority of women. Only 7 per cent of parliamentary seats are occupied by women, compared to an average of 11 per cent in the developing world.
This raises a disturbing question: when women climb the ladder of political power, are they really in a position to do anything significant for the majority of women looking up to them for leadership? Or are the women leaders co-opted by the male culture?
(From Human Development in South Asia 1997.)