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Overview

Gender equality is a fundamental human right and essential for a more peaceful, prosperous, and livable world.

  • Gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls are central to addressing the world’s unprecedented intertwined global crises from food insecurity and climate change to conflict, fragility, and violence, to sluggish economic growth.
  • Urgent action is needed to address gender-based violence (GBV). One in three women worldwide has experienced violence. Gender-based violence hurts not only the individual survivors, but their families, communities, and entire societies – often across generations, undermining a women’s quality of life, and access to paid work and employment.
  • Women’s employment can be a central driver of inclusive growth. Low female labor force participation and occupational segregation lead to inefficiencies and misallocation of talent that, if addressed, would boost incomes, and stimulate growth.  On average across countries, long-run GDP per capita would be almost 20% higher if gender employment gaps were closed.
  • Women’s leadership can enhance long-term economic, environmental, and social outcomes, and strengthen institutions.  Research has correlated higher net profit margins for firms and lower CO2 emissions with more women in decision-making roles.

Innovation, finance, and collective action are urgently needed to end gender-based violence, expand and enable economic opportunities, and engage women as leaders.

The World Bank has committed to accelerate gender equality. In 2022, the Bank launched a year-long #AccelerateEquality initiative, to explore progress made and lessons learned over the last 10 years in closing gender gaps and promoting girls’ and women's empowerment. 

A series of thematic policy notes and causal evidence briefs, along with data, research, global knowledge, and lessons from experience informed the draft of a new World Bank Gender Strategy 2024-30.  Formal consultations on the draft Strategy will be held through November 30, 2023.

Last Updated: Sep 27, 2023

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