Human Development in Iraq

6The position of women

Were gender equality the prevailing norm, a discussion of the position of women would be superfluous. Female capabilities would be studied under their broad headings: female literacy and enrollment in school under general literacy and enrollment, and women's incomes and poverty under average incomes and poverty rates. In the presence of marked and often persistent gender inequality, however, the study of these topics, without reference to gender, would be incomplete and almost certainly misleading.

The intellectual rationale for the study of capabilities of women is to some extent much the same as it is for men. There is no reason to believe that the freedom to live long, healthy, and well nourished lives or the capacity ...