Boosting women’s economic empowerment is key to achieving gender equality, but pervasive social norms and discrimination continue to keep women from thriving in the workforce.

Women are less likely to work than men and women’s participation in the labor force is limited in developing and developing economies alike. Laws restrict 2.7 billion women from having the same jobs as men globally. In 2018, 18 economies still allowed husbands to prevent their wives from working. What’s more, 104 countries have at least one law impeding women’s economic opportunities.

COVID-19 has also forced women to leave the labor in droves and the first year of the pandemic 54 million women globally were out of work, with women of color hit disproportionately.

Women’s economic empowerment helps women and girls gain the skills, resources, and opportunities to participate equally in markets and to control and benefit from their earnings. It is known that women’s full economic participation helps businesses perform better and supports economic growth overall.

  1. Ensure women are equipped to participate in the economy fully.
  2. Enforce policies and social protection systems for women.
  3. Recognize unpaid labor as work.
  4. Invest in women’s organizations and businesses.
  5.  Create decent work for women.

Read the full article about female empowerment by Leah Rodriguez at Global Citizen.