Gender inequality has grown at an alarming pace: disrupted sanitation services for women, loss of jobs in sectors where women are overrepresented and a remarkable increase in assistance needs and unpaid caregiving. This is the rather negative picture outlined by the Gates Foundation.
In view of the disquieting data that emerged from the Foundation’s research, presented on the sidelines of the Generation Equality Forum in Paris, organised once again by UN Women and co-hosted by the governments of Mexico and France, the non-profit agency founded and chaired by Bill and Melinda Gates decided to allocate 2.1 billion dollars for gender equality and women’s empowerment.
The five-year commitment will advance women’s economic empowerment, strengthen health and family planning and accelerate women in leadership.
“The world has been fighting for gender equality for decades, but progress has been slow. Now is the chance to reignite a movement and deliver real change,” said Melinda French Gates, co-chair of the Gates Foundation. “The beauty of our fight for gender equality is that every human being will gain from it. We must seize this moment to build a better, more equal future.”
The Gates Foundation’s funding will break down as follows:
- Economic empowerment: 650 million dollars to strengthen the care economy, improve women’s financial inclusion and reduce barriers to paid work;
- Family planning and health: 1.4 billion dollars to advance family planning and women’s health;
- Accelerating women in leadership: 100 million dollars to accelerate women’s inclusion in leadership roles, primarily in health, law, and economics.
The goal is to reduce the major global inequalities related to women’s rights, which have grown during the pandemic. The data provided by the Foundation shows that unemployment for women rose by 13 million in 2020 and is projected to increase another 2 million in 2021. This pattern is not true for men, as male employment has generally returned to pre-pandemic levels, further exacerbating existing inequalities in the workforce.
“Women and girls already faced unique barriers to their full participation in social and economic life, and the latest data show that the pandemic has only sharpened gender disparities,” said Mark Suzman, CEO of the Gates Foundation. “Each data point represents a woman fighting for a better future, and this funding reflects our longstanding commitment to support all women in their fight for a fairer and more equal world.”
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