It must be remembered that the relatively liberated and affluent women of Europe and North America are only a small minority of women in the world today. Women in many non-Western countries and especially in the so-called Third World generally live in a state of subjection and misery. More than a billion women (i.e., the majority of the world's female population) live in poor, rural areas. Most of them are illiterate, malnourished, exhausted, or even ill, and are forced to work long hours for little reward. Naturally, men share many of these hardships, but women still bear the greatest burden. In nearly all "underdeveloped" countries boys are favored over girls from the moment of birth, since parents consider sons as a guarantee for their economic security in old age. Girls, on the other hand, marry into some other family. Thus, even under conditions of abject poverty, boys are better fed, clothed, and educated than girls. In emergencies and in case of natural disasters, female needs also take second place. Furthermore, in many poor countries women have few rights and are early given away in marriage with hardly a voice in the matter. Backbreaking work and constant pregnancies then keep them weak and dependent. Attempts by governments and international agencies to raise the general standard of living in poor communities may well have the opposite effect on women by increasing their workload. Under such depressing circumstances, "women's liberation" has a special meaning and, indeed, poses a challenge to the women's movement in the rich and powerful West. Some of the poor countries have, in the meantime, made great strides toward economic progress and, in some cases, a considerable degree of sexual equality has been achieved. It is also interesting to note that in recent times some "developing' nations, such as India, Sri Lanka, and Israel have chosen women as heads of state, an example that still waits to be emulated in Europe and America. On the whole, one might say that the emancipation of women is no longer a "Western" issue, and that its global implications are increasingly being recognized. There also seems little doubt that the demand for sexual equality will persist until it has fully been granted everywhere.