As women’s economic power increases, women can shape more inclusive systems, whether it’s within their own household or at the macroeconomic level. The impact of these benefits is enormous.
Starting that ripple effect requires work from a variety of stakeholders: communities, religious institutions, private sectors, financial and economic decision makers, and government ministries. We all have a role to play in knocking down those barriers and helping women to claim their full economic power.
Read Melinda French Gates’ op-ed on how leaders can boost women’s economic power
Illuminating opportunities: Data on untapped potential
Employment
26%
Estimated GDP increase by adding more women to the workforce
(2022, Closing the Gender Gap in the Workforce, Council on Foreign Relations)
(2022, Closing the Gender Gap in the Workforce, Council on Foreign Relations)
Pay gap
24%
Global pay gap faced by women compared to men across the health and care sector
(2022, The Gender Gap in Pay, World Health Organization)
(2022, The Gender Gap in Pay, World Health Organization)
Credit
$1.7T
Estimated amount of unmet demand for credit among women (in USD)
(2022, How to measure female entrepreneurship?, The World Bank)
(2022, How to measure female entrepreneurship?, The World Bank)
Digital payments
80M
Number of unbanked women in developing countries receiving government transfers in cash
(2019, Banking on the future of women, IMF)
(2019, Banking on the future of women, IMF)
Investment
6x
Amount of capital investment received by male-owned enterprises in Africa compared to female-owned enterprises
(2019, Profiting from Parity, The World Bank)
(2019, Profiting from Parity, The World Bank)
Child care
300M
Possible jobs generated by investing in universal child care and long-term services
(2022, Care at work, ILO)
(2022, Care at work, ILO)
Policy and law
86
Number of countries where women cannot legally do the same jobs as men
(2022, Nearly 2.4 Billion Women Globally, The World Bank)
(2022, Nearly 2.4 Billion Women Globally, The World Bank)
Commitment
$80M
Investment from our foundation in 2016 to help fill some of these critical gender data gaps
More on women’s financial inclusion
A story of digital banking in India—and a young woman’s promising career path
Digital banking lets millions of people safely receive, send, and save money without the need for cash. One young woman in India explains how this is helping her community.
Banking on the future of women
Poverty is not a single fact or condition, but rather a collection of them: a lack of financial assets, a lack of access to property, and a lack of voice in one's community.
Global Findex 2021: How digital wages empower Bangladeshi women
The Bangladeshi government’s quick action to pay garment workers digitally during the pandemic led to enormous dividends for women workers—and demonstrated the power of financial inclusion to improve women’s lives.
More on child care
Investing in child care: good for families, good for children, good for economies
Investing in child care means more income for families, better outcomes for children, and more inclusive economic growth.
Governments build roads and bridges. Why is another essential piece of infrastructure, child care, built on women’s unpaid labor?
The pandemic has been devastating to women’s employment. Unless governments and the private sector start to think of child care as essential infrastructure, post-pandemic recovery plans will falter.
Women on philanthropy’s front lines: A conversation with Melanie Brown and Elizabeth Barajas-Román
Women’s funds have long been on the front lines of addressing persistent societal injustices. They need our support to address the harms suffered by women during the COVID-19 pandemic—from lost jobs to domestic violence.
More on women’s economic power
Melinda French Gates highlights five women inspiring change in their communities in Rwanda and Senegal
The global advocate for women and girls shares the stories of some extraordinary women whose vision and ingenuity are creating new possibilities for their countries and industries.
Want to grow your economy? Focus on women.
Two recent graduates in Senegal had a great idea for a business. Because they were women, banks and investors kept saying “no.”
Poverty is sexist: A Q&A with new Gender Equality Division President Anita Zaidi
New Gender Equality Division President Anita Zaidi discusses the newly created division and what it means for the foundation.
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