Across the world, countries are losing $160 trillion due to the lifetime earnings differences between women and men. It’s a situation that doesn’t just affect women, who’ve been blocked from higher earnings, jobs, and capital. It affects everyone — leaving trillions on the table instead of catapulting gross domestic product growth.
“It is really hard for women to get their businesses capitalized, both in the United States and around the world,” said philanthropist Melinda French Gates, speaking at the Global Inclusive Growth Summit in Washington, D.C., on Thursday morning. “And yet, there is so much opportunity.”
French Gates was at the summit — which was hosted by the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, with Devex as the media partner, on the sidelines of the World Bank-International Monetary Fund Spring Meetings — to push for women’s increased access to affordable capital. She was also there to showcase solutions, with venture capital investor Fatoumata Bâ and actress and activist Rosario Dawson at her side.
About the author
Elissa Miolene
Elissa Miolene reports on USAID and the U.S. government at Devex. She previously covered education at The San Jose Mercury News, and has written for outlets like The Wall Street Journal, San Francisco Chronicle, Washingtonian magazine, among others. Before shifting to journalism, Elissa led communications for humanitarian agencies in the United States, East Africa, and South Asia.
