Closing the Gender Gap

Two-thirds of the world's 275 million illiterate are women

The challenge:  Two-thirds of the world's 275 million illiterate are women and although they equal half of the world's population, they represent 70% of those in poverty.

How do we go about attaining role equality? 
The World Economic Forum Index measures gender equality in four areas:  economic share, political empowerment, health care, and education.  There are only four countries closing the gender gap and they stand at about 80% (e.g. women=80%, men =100%).  They are Norway, Finland, Sweden and Iceland.

Key factors for the global equalization of genders are focused education of girls, development of robust democracies, and the presence of strong civil societies. 

Announcing a $1,000,000 grant to CARE, Esther says that it is well-known that training and entrepreneurship break the cycle of poverty.   Her primary focus for international development will be on educating girls. 

With the support of new CEO Mike Duke, who came from the international side of the company, Wal-Mart has identified top trends that will address the training and entrepreneurship issues:

• Focus on developing and managing talent
• Shift in economic power from the developed to under-developed countries
• Technology as a driver of change
• Growing importance of environmental, social and ethical concerns at the corporate level

How can we help?

Asked what we personally can do to help close the gender gap, Esther listed the following:

• Remember that although we may have 'made it', there are those who have not, and we must extend a hand backward.
• If we have attained personal power politically or economically, we must use it to create change
• We are wives and mothers who have a duty to instruct both sons and daughters about our dreams for a gender-equal world
• We must nurture young girls in particular
• If we have are in the teaching professions, especially at the university level, we must push educational attainment for young women