Africa: Future May Depend on Women's Employment

A report released last month, ‘The Security Demographic: Population and Civil Conflict after the Cold War’, argues that much of sub-Saharan Africa, as well as parts of the Middle East and Asia, are at high-risk for future civil conflict. The report, which found a high correlation between demographics and conflict in the 1990s, also identifies the increasing toll of HIV/AIDS as a factor that will likely make some states more vulnerable to civil conflict in the future. Researchers at Population Action International argue that the best way to mitigate these factors is to improve women's access to education, family planning and economic opportunities.