A Woman's World

A surprising (or, upon reflection, perhaps completely unsurprising) article in the Economist about the importance of working women in the global economy. Females have been the driving force behind economic growth over the past several decades, outdoing even new technology and the emergence of China and India in their contributions to prosperity. (I wonder how they measure something like that? And is it wrong that I'm not skeptical simply because I trust the dude/ttes at the Economist to do their homework?) And despite a thoroughly entrenched parental preference for boys over girls--present both in the richest and poorest of nations--the tide may turn in the near future:

Girls get better grades at school than boys, and in most developed countries more women than men go to university. Women will thus be better equipped for the new jobs of the 21st century, in which brains count a lot more than brawn. In Britain far more women than men are now training to become doctors. And women are more likely to provide sound advice on investing their parents' nest egg: surveys show that women consistently achieve higher financial returns than men do.

In fact, the Economist seems to be saying the world would be a better place if more women got out of the house:

What is clear is that in countries such as Japan, Germany and Italy, which are all troubled by the demographics of shrinking populations, far fewer women work than in America, let alone Sweden. If female labour-force participation in these countries rose to American levels, it would give a helpful boost to these countries' growth rates. Likewise, in developing countries where girls are less likely to go to school than boys, investing in education would deliver huge economic and social returns. Not only will educated women be more productive, but they will also bring up better educated and healthier children. More women in government could also boost economic growth: studies show that women are more likely to spend money on improving health, education, infrastructure and poverty and less likely to waste it on tanks and bombs.

It's never been a better time to be a working woman, ladies. Let's get out there and change the world.