The Los Angeles Times writes about a government report which declares that life is getting better for the country’s women:
Since the implementation of two programs aimed at improving the lives of women and children in 2001, more than 4 million rural women have been lifted out of poverty, according to Huang. Women’s average life expectancy reached 74.1 years, and infant mortality rate dropped by 41 percent. Virtually all young people attend the compulsory nine ears of school, and literacy among the young and middle-aged last year reached 98 percent, she said.
Despite the government’s glowing statements, other reports have been less optimistic about the situation of women and the rural poor. [Full text]