from the end poverty by 2015 campaign...

Poverty has a woman's face. Global prosperity and peace will only be achieved once all the world's people are empowered to order their own lives and provide for themselves and their families. Societies where women are more equal stand a much greater chance of achieving the Millennium Goals by 2015. Every single Goal is directly related to women's rights, and societies were women are not afforded equal rights as men can never achieve development in a sustainable manner.

http://www.endpoverty2015.org/goals/gender-equity

Did You Know?

• Of the 1.3 billion people living in poverty around the world, 70% are women. (Source: World Revolution)
• Women do about 66% of the world's work in return for less than 5% of its income. (Source: Women's International Network)
• In the least developed countries nearly twice as many women over age 15 are illiterate compared to men. (Source: UNFPA)
• Two-thirds of children denied primary education are girls, and 75% of the world’s 876 million illiterate adults are women. (Source: AskWoman)
• Women work two-thirds of the world's working hours, produce half of the world's food, and yet earn only 10% of the world's income and own less than 1% of the world's property. (Source :World Development Indicators, 1997, Womankind Worldwide) 

http://www.endpoverty2015.org/goals/gender-equity

Achieving the Goals

In 2005, Mozambique signed a new law that gave women equal rights as members of a household. Women finally received the legal right to divorce, create pre-nuptial agreements and inherit property.
The Family Law legally redefined the status of women and overhauled marriage laws.
The law also limited marriage to women of 18 years of age and older. Men were now no longer the defacto head of household, and women are able to work outside the home without acquiring permission and can buy and manage financial assets. Members of the Family Law coalition are now teaching leaders how to practice the new laws in ways that will not undermine traditional views of the family.

http://www.endpoverty2015.org/goals/gender-equity