Animal Rationis Capax

Gender inequality is unprofitable and hence at least arguably undesirable, according to research commissioned by the World Bank. Women are less likely to be educated, to be employed or to be paid for the work they do; and when they are employed, they are more likely to work fewer hours and for lower pay. The children of young and poorly-educated women are at greater risk of malnourishment, academic underachievement, and even of dying off altogether before they have the opportunity of contributing to the wealth of the World Bank, or any bank at all. This would of course be a deplorable situation if human society were ruled by purely materialistic considerations; fortunately, our most genuine and enduring values are protected by our great moral traditions. Such is the power of their ethical imperative that they have regulated our conduct for thousands of years, not least because anyone going against them could be stoned or burned alive. By comparison, even the moral stature of the World Bank may still have room for improvement.