It was a dark and stormy night. I was curled up on the couch with a blanket watching my favorite re-run, when suddenly lightning struck and hit me right between the eyes. Now, I’m not usually one to believe in things like divine intervention or signs from above, but there was a message here, and it couldn’t be ignored: We all need faith in women.
Women are the key value-drivers of any economy.
Women are the key value-drivers of any economy.
Women spend more money than men, on average. They spend money on goods and services, but also on their communities. They reinvest in their families and communities because they know that strong economies benefit everyone – especially children.
Women are more likely to be advocates for their children’s education; they invest in technology that helps kids learn; they advocate for equal access to healthcare; they fight for clean water, safe food systems and other resources that help all of us thrive as a global community. Women are leaders who work hard every day so we can lead better lives together as a society.”
As economies grow, women must be granted equal access to capital, education, and innovation.
You are the backbone of any economy. You are the largest untapped reservoir of talent in the world. But if you’re a woman, your contributions to society have too often been denigrated or ignored. This has to change.
When economies grow, they do so because women have equal access to capital, education and innovation — yet we still lag behind men when it comes to these essential resources. That has to change too!
Gender equality is vital to the long-term success of any community
In the eyes of many, gender equality is a human right. But it’s also an indispensable part of sustainable development, ending poverty and unlocking the potential of women and girls. In fact, when gender equality is achieved, we see that:
- All societies are more stable and secure;
- Families are healthier;
- The economy grows faster;
- Civil society flourishes;
- Peace agreements last longer.
Being economically empowered can help lift people out of poverty.
The majority of the world’s poor are women. In fact, it’s estimated that women make up 70% of the world’s poorest 1.7 billion people. And while they comprise half the population, they own less than 10% of the wealth in developing countries and earn only 10 cents for every dollar a man earns globally.
The good news is that empowering women economically can help lift millions out of poverty by increasing productivity and consumption, improving education outcomes for girls and boys alike, reducing gender inequality, improving health outcomes for mothers and children, lowering infant mortality rates, helping communities adapt to climate change impacts more effectively (since women are often responsible for water collection), etc., etc., etc…
By empowering women, we can positively impact our world.
The women of today are the key value-drivers of any economy—and women’s empowerment is vital to the long-term success of any community. Gender equality helps eliminate poverty, improves education and health outcomes for children, and promotes social justice. The United Nations estimates that if we reversed the current trend toward gender inequality by 2030, it would result in an additional $12 trillion in annual global GDP.
In other words: empowering women will help change our world.
Conclusion
We know that progress can be slow, but we also believe it is inevitable. Progress is not just about equality for women but also about having a more prosperous, equitable society. The women who have inspired us in this series of essays have shown us how they used their time and resources to make the world a better place. By learning from them and using their lessons as inspiration, we can create change in our own lives and communities.
