It is hardly surprising news, but a new report shows that girls and women are those hit hardest by the global recession. The study is from the organizations Plan International, which is working to reduce child poverty, and the Overseas Development Institute – the UK's leading independent think tank on international development and humanitarian issues. They state that: "The world is failing girls and women." The report's author Nigel Chapman said: "Girls are the largest marginalised group in the world." Mr Chapman added: "Much of the problem lies with 'entrenched gender inequality'." Chapman found that a worsening economy results in females of all ages having to work harder and suffering more domestic abuse.

Mr Chapman's report highlights a tragic increase in mortality rates for female infants. He told the BBC: "The proportion of baby girls who died when the economy shrank rose five times faster than the proportion of baby boys who died….Hence, a 1% fall in economic output increases infant mortality by 7.4 deaths per 1,000 girls against 1.5 for boys." He paints an equally bleak picture for girls not being able to complete their education. He reports that the global recession saw a fall in primary school completion for girls of 29% compared to 22% for boys. "Girls get sucked into domestic chores," he said. "Once they stop going to school it's very hard to get back into the rhythm of things."