NEW YORK: Women worldwide are least satisfied about education and career prospects, especially in developing countries, according to a new global research released by Avon, a leading beauty company.

The 16-country poll of 8,000 women, released on Wednesday, the day before yesterday's International Women's Day, measured life satisfaction and empowerment and found that educational opportunities rank last in satisfaction for women.

In terms of work and career, only about four in 10 women are satisfied with their opportunity of finding a paid job and pursuing the career of their choice.

And the gap between women's satisfaction in developed (52 percent) and developing (33 percent) nations is pronounced: 19 percentage points.

The findings were announced by Avon Chairman and CEO Andrea Jung during the Global Summit for a Better Tomorrow presented by Avon in partnership with the Virtue Foundation at the United Nations.

Worldwide, women report the greatest satisfaction from personal aspects of their lives.

Ndeye Coumba Mboup, 37, uses a wrench to work on a car engine at her garage in a suburb of Dakar. Coumba Mboup is one of the rare women to have launched her business in a field traditionally reserved for men. She opened her own mechanics business six months ago after completing a diploma in a Senegalese-Japanese technical college.AFP

Some 92 percent are very or somewhat satisfied with control over their own life; 89 percent are very or somewhat satisfied with decisions about their religious or spiritual life and 88 percent are very or somewhat satisfied with their ability to care for their families.

Across the 16 countries, including Brazil, China, Egypt, India, Japan, Russia, the United States and Turkey, strong majorities of women believe that their future is bright. More than six in 10 women believe a woman will be the head of state in their countries within 10 years.

And of note, women from developing countries feel more optimistic about a brighter future than women in developed countries.

About two-thirds of women from developing countries say young women 10 years from now will have a better life than young women of today, almost double what women from developed countries believe.

The 2007 Avon Worldwide Women's Poll asked women about their satisfaction on 34 aspects of their lives and sense of empowerment.

These aspects span six dimensions: family decision-making and support, social and civic participation, financial independence, health and safety, educational opportunities, and work and career opportunities.

In an overall view, the poll yields a single, worldwide empowerment score of 64, from a scale of 0-100, indicating women are two-thirds of the way toward feeling fully empowered. Among developed nations, the index is 70; among developing nations, 61.

"From economic empowerment to a desire to improve their education, personal safety, and health, in this research we hear women from across the world expressing hope for a better tomorrow," said Jung.

The Avon Worldwide Women's Poll, the first of its kind, was conducted by Gfk Roper Public Affairs headquartered in New York City, working with partner organizations around the world.

In each of the 16 countries, about 500 women aged above 18 were interviewed in January.

Xinhua

(China Daily 03/09/2007 page11)