Background on Ecuador

    Since the mid-1990s, Ecuador has been experiencing one of the worst economic crises in its entire history. During 1999 the situation deteriorated markedly. During that year the gross national product declined by 7.3 per cent. The crisis has deepened existing disparities in income levels and brought increased poverty and deprivation in its wake. Consequently, poverty reduction is one of the main priorities in the Government’s development plans for the period 2000-2003.

   Poverty is particularly endemic in the Quechua-speaking areas of the country, where the indigenous Indian communities often lack access to basic infrastructure and services, such as clean water, sanitation, modern medical care, family planning services and education.

   Ecuador’s current population is estimated at 12.6 million. The growth rate, as in most of the rest of Latin America, has declined dramatically since the 1960s, from 3.2 per cent in 1962 to 2.1 per cent in 2000. Over the coming decade it is expected to drop to 1.6 per cent per year, if current trends continue.

   With just over one-third of the country’s population under the age of 15, there is considerable demographic momentum built into these numbers. Teenage pregnancies remain a problem, especially in rural areas. One quarter of the entire population is between 10 and 19 years old. Pregnancies among adolescents account for 16 per cent of the total on a yearly basis. Still, with an educated, healthy and young working population, the country could benefit from the demographic dividend of a decreasing dependency ratio during the next few decades.

   The total fertility rate for the period 1994-1999 was 3.3 children per woman, compared to 3.6 for the period 1989-1994. However, major differences exist between rural and urban areas and between the Indian communities in the high sierra and coastal areas. Rural women average 4.3 children each, compared to 2.8 in urban areas; women living in the high sierra average 5.6 children each, compared to 3 in the country’s extensive coastal zone. But all of these averages are higher than the number of children women actually want – averaging 2.6 in the demographic and child health survey completed in 1999.

   Despite improvements, maternal mortality remains high. National estimates range from 60 to 150 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. Similarly, infant mortality in 2000 was 40 per 1,000 live births; the fourth highest level in South America after Bolivia, Guyana and Peru. Life expectancy continues to improve: The average life expectancy is now 69 years for men and 72 for women.

   The contraceptive prevalence rate is 57 per cent for all methods and 46 per cent for modern methods. But there is a clear unmet need for better reproductive health and family planning information and services in indigenous, Quechua-speaking areas. In these under-served regions the percentage of women and men using some form of contraception is no more than 25.

   Reliable data on HIV/AIDS and other sexually transmitted infections are scarce. The number of reported AIDS cases was just over 1,200 for the period 1984-1999, but under-reporting is thought to be considerable. By the end of 1999 between 12,000 and 26,000 people were infected with the virus that causes AIDS, according to estimates made by UNAIDS. Most of those who are HIV positive are under 30 years of age. Unlike Africa, slightly more men are infected than women.

   The social situation of women for the most part remains to be addressed. However, the legal framework for advancing women’s rights has improved over the past decade. In 1995 the National Assembly passed a law against domestic violence and in 2000 another law mandated that at least 30 per cent of candidates for elected positions be women. The later law has led to an increase in the number of women holding office at the local level, including mayors. Women have also been included in ministerial positions for the first time.

   Much remains to be done. Although the 1998 Constitution emphasizes equality between sexes, including provisions on the equal rights of all family members and the right of women to earn the same wages as men, studies indicate that women remain largely disadvantaged, particularly in rural areas. Higher percentages of rural women remain illiterate, compared to men. Indigenous women living in the sierra are particularly disadvantaged, with nearly 50 per cent of them illiterate, compared to only 18 per cent of rural women in general.


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