5/12/2018
According to Melinda Gates, "when money flows into the hands of women who have the authority to use it, everything changes." We couldn't agree more. In a recent op-ed for Quartz, Melinda Gates announced the Gates Foundation's $170 million pledge to economically empower women around the world.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is known for its focus on generating equality, especially for women and girls. But this recent commitment specifically targets putting women in financial control. Studies show that when women hold the purse strings, their families and communities benefit, as women are more likely than men to invest in education and health. What's more, Gates urges, when women can act on their own, it forces society to rethink the role they play.
Over the next four years, these funds will be distributed across three distinct channels: supporting female farmers to make their prices more competitive; increasing women's adoption of digital bank accounts in eight countries; and cultivating self-help groups for women and girls to share information around topics like starting a business and motherhood. LEARN MORE