Women Are a Powerful Force for Development

Businesses today focus heavily on productivity, maximizing potential, tapping every last resource. Yet the global economy still underutilizes a staggering 48.4 percent of its available productive potential: women. IFC recognizes that creating opportunity for women in the private sector is essential for economic growth.

Change cannot come soon enough for women in developing countries, who often face economic exclusion and legal discrimination. But it is equally critical for economies seeking to grow. IFC has worked across many developing countries to strengthen women’s education, rights, health, and access to the workforce. This is not just a moral imperative. It’s also good economics.

When women gain education, opportunity, and income, they help lift themselves—and their families—out of poverty. They spend differently than men—buying higher-quality food, health care, and education for their children. They also save more. According to a Goldman Sachs study, narrowing the gender gap in employment could raise per capita income in emerging markets by up to 14 percent by 2020.

See full Press Release: http://www.ifc.org/wps/wcm/connect/corp_ext_content/ifc_external_corporate_site/ifc+news/news/privatesectorsolutionsgfordevelopment/featurestory_win