PARIS, Sept 20 (AFP) - Discrimination against women and girls not only harms individuals, it cripples economic growth, the United Nations said in its annual report on the state of world population published Wednesday.

"Women's second-class status carries a financial and social cost, and not just for women. Men, and society in general, also pay a price," said the report by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA).

It highlighted the gender gap in education as a key influence on gross national product (GNP), stating that in countries where the ratio of women to men enrolled in primary or secondary school is less than three to four, GNP per capita is roughly 25 percent lower than elsewhere.

"It has been estimated that a one percent increase in female secondary schooling results in a 0.3 per cent increase in economic growth."

The relationship between female secondary education and economic growth is so strong because economic returns on women's education exceed those of men.

"One reason is that women who use their skills to increase their income, invest more in child health and eduction," the report said.

This relationship has been verified in the economies of several East and Southeast Asian countries which grew at unprecedented rates from the 1960s through the 1980s.

This was allied to investments in health and education, especially for women. As a result, birth rates dropped and these countries were able to invest more in stimulating economic growth. "Various analyses ascribe 30 percent of the growth in the 'Asian tigers' to changing age structures that resulted from lower death and birth rates," the report said.

"This equals 1,525 dollars per capita in economic advance over a 30-year period."

The opposite trend can be observed in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, where economic growth trails and the educational gender divide is greatest.

In these regions, girls make up less than 40 percent of secondary students.

Gender-based violence also has a sizeable impact on the economy, though its cost is difficult to assess. Costs include health care for victims, missed work, emergency shelters and police protection.

"In the United States, employees pay an estimated four billion dollars a year for absenteeism, increased health care expenses, higher turnover and lower productivity," the report says.

Gender inequality also pushes up health care costs.

Limited access to care among the poor has a greater impact on women than men, with poor women more likely to die because of pregnancy.

Half a million women die every year during and after childbirth.

Its econonomic costs include lost contributions to the family, increased mortality among the surviving children, and increased burdens of home maintenance and child care to their survivors.

"A study in India found that when a woman died, the survival of the household was often challenged because men were unaccustomed to managing domestic affairs," the report said.

Inequality has also contributed to the spreading of HIV/AIDS since women often have less control over when, where and whether sex takes place, the report said.

For men, cultural beliefs about "manhood" often encourages risky sexual and drug-taking behaviour. In some countries, it is estimated that the pandemic has reduced per capita gross domestic product (GDP) by 0.5 percent per year.

"One of the keys to sustainable development will be recognizing the costs of discrimination, making it visible to policy makers and families, and designing ways to end it," the report concluded.

It argues governments must take the fundamental decision to move forward on gender equality through legislative changes and public policies: "Governments are also major employers and their rules and practices have a powerful influence on social change."

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