* Any views expressed in this opinion piece are those of the author and not of Thomson Reuters Foundation.
Gender inequality and discrimination aren't just rights violations; they hinder competitiveness and keep people poor
Inequality and discrimination aren't just rights violations. They hinder competitiveness and keep people poor.
Yet despite strides toward gender equality globally in recent years, particularly in education, women are still vastly more constrained and economically excluded than men. They earn less, own less, and have less control over their own lives and choices. They are far less likely to have access to technology, credit, and other assets that would make them more productive as farmers and entrepreneurs. They are far more vulnerable to poverty.
They’re streamed into lower-paying types of work and they still perform the lion’s share of unpaid care work—for which the world rewards them with poverty in old age. This harms women and girls. It also harms families, communities, and economies. It hinders our work to end poverty and boost shared prosperity.
World Bank Group and other research make clear: Investing in women and girls consistently yields a powerful ripple effect—it’s a rising tide that genuinely lifts all boats. Educated mothers have fewer, healthier children, and money in a woman’s hands is much more likely to be invested in the next generation. Women are also powerful drivers of growth. Lifting the constraints that hold them back is a game-changer in ending poverty.
So as we prepare to retire the anti-poverty Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and usher in new global targets, as we celebrate International Women's Day 2015, the World Bank Group is launching a new campaign to highlight gender equality as a vital component of our work and crucial priority in the 21st century.
We're building on our successful #ThinkEqual campaign from years past and focusing on what “equal” means—and how to get there. We'll be sharing news, views, videos, blogs, photos, data, infographics, research, and best practices across multiples platforms under the hashtag #Get2Equal.
We're eager to hear from you—our followers, partners, colleagues, clients, and others. And we know you have stories to share.
So please reach out on social media. Tell us, show us, share with the world why getting women and girls to equal is important to you, and how you have effected or experienced it in your life and work. Do you know a woman who overcame obstacles to start a business, run for office, raise a family, or go to school? Have you surveyed women about how they would use a new bridge, road, or service? We want to hear from you.
We've thought equal long enough. Tell us how you think we can finally make it happen. #Get 2Equal. Now.
Caren Grown is World Bank Group Senior Director, Gender
