Saying Thanks to the Moms & Women in our Lives

Happy (Belated) Mother’s Day! In Panama, Mother’s Day is celebrated on December 8, but we were still thinking of our moms this past Sunday. Mother’s Day is a big deal down here; everyone has the day off and many people take more time off and travel from Panama City to visit their extended families in the interior. Ideally, I would like to think that people travel home to celebrate their mothers and the important impact that they have had on their lives. Unfortunately, the big day is often celebrated with excessive drinking and mom preparing a large meal for everyone returning home. I remember our first Mother’s Day in Panama when we still lived in our first community because I was struck by two observations. The first was that the primary emphasis of the holiday did not seem to be on Mom but instead on excessive drinking (primarily, if not exclusively, by the men). Not unlike many celebrations in Panama, the women were cooking and cleaning while the men were sitting and drinking. The second observation occurred during a Catholic Mass we attended that evening. During the sermon, the priest was speaking about the importance of treating our mothers with the dignity and respect that they deserve. In this sermon, he also touched on the dangers of domestic violence and the importance of ensuring women have access to education. The contrast between both of these memories from my first Panamanian Mother’s Day starkly highlighted the large gap between the aspirations and actualities of not only Mother’s Day but also the greater realities of the role of women in development and society.

Quite simply, women have drawn the short end of the stick and this is especially evident in the developing world. Globally, women are poorer, at greater risk to contract preventable diseases, more politically and culturally disenfranchised, more at risk of physical, sexual, and emotional violence, and less likely to be educated. Many of the responsibilities that women have are undervalued or simply ignored because they go uncompensated, including food preparation, water collection, and raising children (among many others). In a 2005 study, the World Economic Forum concluded that women perform approximately 66% of the world’s work, produce half of the world’s food, yet only earn 10% of the income and own 1% of all private property! These trends are just as prevalent in Latin America as they are in the Middle East, Africa, Asia, and the rest of the world.

While women are often undervalued, their involvement in community development cannot be overstated. Several studies have shown that directing development funds to women has a multiplier effect that can greatly improve the lives of the impoverished. Globally, women share more of their economic gains with their families and their communities. The World Bank has found that women invest 90% of their income into their households, as opposed to 30% to 40% among men. Women have also been found to be much more credit worthy with micro-lending institutions around the world. The world’s first microcredit organization, Bangladesh’s Grameen Bank, provides 98% of its loans to women because women are more likely to repay their loans and prove to be the “best poverty fighters.”

Sexual violence and discrimination is all too prevalent among the world’s population of women. (A very unfortunate and extremely violent example of this is articulated in this article about the Democratic Republic of the Congo by Vagina Monologues founder Eve Ensler). Reproductive health problems, including maternal death and disability, unintended pregnancies, and sexually transmitted diseases remain the leading cause of death among women of childbearing age throughout the world. Recently, the World Health Organization conducted a 10 country study on women’s health and domestic violence. This study found that approximately 30% of women surveyed said their first sexual experience was not consensual and that 10% of women reported physical abuse during pregnancy. The United Nations also estimates that at least 200 million women want access to family planning, but are unable to do so due to either a lack of access or support from their husbands or communities. Fortunately, these inequities facing women can also be alleviated by increased access to freedom and opportunity. For example, Noble Prize winning economist Amartya Sen has found that the strongest correlation between reducing infant mortality and fertility is increasing literacy rates. In other words, populations of women with higher rates of education are more economically empowered and have better health prospects overall. Higher levels of income and education also tend to result in less violence against women.

While we all celebrate Mother’s Day with phone calls, cards, and flowers, we should also take this opportunity to honor our mothers and the other important women in our lives by being aware of these larger issues that affect women around the world. There are several things each of us can do whether it’s supporting your local women’s crisis center, an organization that supports women’s education in the developing world, or countless other community or youth development activities. Being aware and acting are critical to improving the situation for women around the world. There is important work that still needs to be done!

Happy (belated) Mother’s Day to all the moms and grandmothers in our life! We love you very much and appreciate everything you have done for us and our families. And a special congratulations to Shanna and Bryan, the proud parents of twins Daniel and Maelle!