But presence is not the only significant factor. A study several years ago by the Berlin-based organization Transparency International found that countries with a higher share of women parliamentarians tended to be more honest and less corrupt. Countries with a minimal number of women in parliament are generally among the most corrupt and least developed. As more women compete for and gain legislative seats around the globe, their growing presence should help make the world a better place.

Source: Inter-Parliamentary Union, “Women in National Parliaments - Situation as of 20 October 2003.”

The Importance of Educating Women Wherever They Are With the Middle East so much in the news, a lot of attention has been focused on the rebuilding and transformation of that region. One short article underscored the key role that women ought to play in this process. The author pointed out that there is a strong correlation between women’s education and development. He quotes an old proverb: “When you educate a man you educate a man. When you educate a woman, you educate two generations.”

Countries with the highest percentage of educated women enjoy the best standard of living, have the highest level of human development and comprise the wealthiest economies. These educated women are not only in a better position to improve their own status and well being but to educate their children and pass on a richer intellectual inheritance.

The article includes references to the economic advances made by so-called “Asian Tigers” such as Singapore, Hong Kong and Taiwan. Those countries are highly literate and the level of women’s education is very high. In contrast, most Middle East countries restrict educational opportunities for women and are among the world’s least developed and most corrupt. For example, the Inter-Parliamentary Union’s compilation of women parliamentarians mentioned earlier in this Newsletter showed that of eight Middle East countries covered, half had no women in parliament and women’s presence in others was less than five percent. In that list, the contrast between Singapore and Saudi Arabia could not be more striking.

Source: “Rebuilding the Mideast: Women Are the Key,” Jean-Pierre Lehman, www.theglobalist.com, April 3, 2003.