Summary

It is against the Islam religion for a woman to be examined by a male doctor. Kristof and WuDunn write that the majority of the countries with practices like honor killings and genital cutting are Muslim. Hinduism subscribes to the practice of burning brides who are exposed to have lost their virginity before marriage. The authors report that women in predominately Muslim countries are the least educated in the world. The authors also point out that Mexico and Latin America, often thought to be impoverished and socially backward, provide good education for girls and have established maternity hospitals in poor neighborhoods.

According to Kristof and WuDunn, in many Muslim countries, women are not considered to be equals of men. One sheikh declared that it was evil for women to “mix with men.” Kristof and WuDunn have concluded that these conditions are...