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Boost Women's Economic Empowerment

Women’s economic empowerment is a pre-requisite for inclusive and equitable economic growth.

Women around the world are resilient and resourceful economic agents, overcoming persistent, gender-based barriers to advance the health, education, and economic security of their families. Evidence shows that women’s full participation in the economy drives better performance and more resilient businesses and supports economic growth and wider development goals for nations around the world. It is time for us to create supportive environments for women to thrive economically.

$10 Trillion
$10 trillion is the estimated annual value of women's unpaid work, 13% of the global GDP.
104
104 countries have at least one law impeding women’s economic opportunities.
65%
Globally, 65% of women have a bank account, compared with 72% of men.
$28 Trillion
Fully closing gender gaps in workplaces would add up to $28 trillion in annual GDP by 2025.

Investing in girls’ and women’s economic empowerment creates a ripple effect that yields multiple benefits, not only for individual women, but also for families, communities, and countries. Increasing women’s control over household income improves their children’s access to school and healthcare; gives women greater control over their reproductive health; improves women’s ability to make environmentally friendly choices; boosts women-run businesses; and improves their status within families, communities, and countries.

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Build Sustainable Financing and Partnerships for Girls and Women
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Build Sustainable Financing and Partnerships for Girls and Women
The transformative power of girls and women is undeniable. It...
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Meet the Demand for Modern Contraception and Reproductive Health
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Meet the Demand for Modern Contraception and Reproductive Health
A woman’s access to modern contraception, reproductive healthcare, and the...
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Respect, Protect, and Fulfill Sexual Health and Rights
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Respect, Protect, and Fulfill Sexual Health and Rights
A world without fear, stigma, or discrimination is a prerequisite...
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Ensure Health For All
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Ensure Health For All
Healthy girls and women are the cornerstone of healthy societies.
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  • Ensure women have the tools to fully participate in the economy through increased access to comprehensive and equitable financial services, including credit, loans, savings, and insurance.
  • Prioritize women’s asset development; secure equitable laws that protect land and inheritance rights; and offer skill-building programs, including financial literacy and management skills.
  • Prioritize the recognition and valuation of unpaid care work, and invest in the care economy to promote girls’ and women’s economic empowerment.
  • Invest in and be inclusive of women’s organizations and cooperatives to strengthen their visibility and representation.
  • Encourage gender- and age-disaggregated data collection to inform the design of gender-sensitive policies and programs and the monitoring and evaluation of their impact on women and gender norms.
  • Include sexual and reproductive health and rights in programming on women’s economic empowerment in order to support women’s access to decent work.
  • Invest in policies and social protection systems to create an enabling environment for women to enter and thrive in within the formal and informal labor markets, such as family leave, daycare, flexible work hours, and social security.
  • Champion the tenets of decent work for all women, including equal access to employment, benefits, training, and leadership positions; equal pay; and a safe and harassment-free work environment.
  • Create economic policies that recognize and financially support girls’ and women’s unpaid household and care work, while reducing and redistributing its burden.
  • Invest in women’s Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and women entrepreneurs through inclusive financing and comprehensive training.
  • Incorporate gender-based violence prevention and response strategies into women’s economic empowerment initiatives.
  • Tackle adverse gender norms and promote positive role models amongst both women and men.
  • Promote women’s leadership and strong gender equality policies in the private sector.
  • Regularly assess and revise business practices for gender equality initiatives throughout the organizational structure and value chain.
Explore the Policy Brief
There is No Silver Bullet Solution: A Q&A with Melinda Gates

There is No Silver Bullet Solution: A Q&A with Melinda Gates

This month, Katja Iversen, President/CEO of Women Deliver, spoke with Melinda Gates, Co-Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, on the importance of access to family planning for women's economic empowerment. Read on to learn about the opportunities and challenges of technology for gender equality, women's representation in tech, and more!

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