On International Women’s Day 2016, more than 90 global influencers joined ONE to send a clear message to world leaders: Poverty is sexist.
In a recent post on Motto, renowned philanthropist Melinda Gates explained how, exactly, “poverty is sexist:”
“Women and girls are more likely to be impoverished, less likely to get an education and more likely to suffer bad health. And when they’re born into poverty, it’s much more difficult for them to lift themselves and their families out of it.”
The reality is stark. Some 62 million girls are denied the right to education. Half a billion women can’t read. 155 countries still have laws that discriminate against women.
But the solution is clear. We can implement policies that support female economic empowerment: access to electricity, connectivity, education and justice, so girls and women have the right to own property, start a business and decide when and whether to marry.
As Melinda Gates said, “if we recognize, reduce and redistribute the burden of work that’s holding women back, they’re going to use that extra time to accomplish great things.”
“And if millions more women had the same chance to invest in themselves and their ideas, they could transform the world.”
Read the full post on Motto, then take a stand for women everywhere by signing our open letter to world leaders.