Giving Compass' Take:

• Investment in women's health, particularly reproductive health, is critical to unlocking potential opportunities to strengthen local economies where women can contribute to the workforce. 

• How can educators also play a crucial role in investing in women's potential? 

• Read about how to invest in women and girls. 

Nadege lives in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti with her three children and partner.

“My dream was to finish school. I wanted to be a nurse, but I didn’t reach that level,” Nadege said. She was forced to drop out of school when she unexpectedly became pregnant at 17. Today, she works at an apparel factory that produces clothes for Levi Strauss & Co. and other U.S. brands to earn an income and provide for her children.

In developing countries, women just like Nadege are joining the formal workforce at incredible rates. But, in these same countries, there is still a significant gap in meeting the health and rights needs of women and girls, especially when it comes to family planning. In fact, 214 million women in developing countries have an “unmet need” for birth control—meaning they want to delay or avoid becoming pregnant, but are not using modern contraceptives.

Now is the time to connect the dots between women’s shift into the workforce and their unmet need for essential health care. Right now, the private sector—particularly companies with supply chains that employ large numbers of women such as apparel, textiles, agriculture, and electronics—has an incredible opportunity to reach millions of women in the workforce with the critical health information they want and need.

Businesses can leverage their networks, assets, and expertise to reach girls and women with health information and services, empowering these women and girls to reach their full potential and, in turn, become more engaged and productive at work.

Read the full article about investing in women's health by Robyn Russell at United Nations Foundation.