Book Description

In not a single country has gender equality been achieved in practice. In not a single country is there equal work for equal pay. Worse still, in nine out of ten countries - despite all 193 UN member countries formally committing in 2015 to promote gender equality and empower women and girls - laws discriminate against women's ability to be economically active. Yet the business case for rapid progress is compelling. Recent research demonstrates as much as $28 trillion could be added to the global economy by 2025 if all countries bridged the gender gap. That's an amount equivalent to the combined US and China economies today. Women's unpaid care work is estimated at around US$10 trillion per year, roughly equivalent to 13 percent of global GDP. The World Economic Forum points out that at current rates of progress, it will take another 217 years to reach economic parity. International fora such as the G20 are attempting to address these issues by establishing specialist dialogues such as Women20 (W20) and business leaders are stepping up to help speed progress. Why is women's economic empowerment a social, economic and business imperative? This paper seeks to explain why and suggests practical differences the W20 process can make to improve global wellbeing, not only for women, but for also their families, communities and countries.