ODI parliamentary reception on women's economic empowerment
Host
Rachel Reeves MP @RachelReevesMP - Member of the Treasury Select Committee
Speakers
Rt Hon Maria Miller MP @Maria_MillerMP - Chair of the Women and Equalities Committee
Simona Scarpaleggia @SScarpaleggia – CEO of IKEA Switzerland and Co-Chair of the UN High-Level Panel on Women’s Economic Empowerment
Fiza Farhan @Fiza_Farhan – Global development advisor and Member of the UN High-Level Panel on Women’s Economic Empowerment
Shikoh Gitau – Innovator, Member of UN Women and Aspen New Voices Fellow, Kenya
Description
The global gender wage gap stands at 23%, nearly half of the world’s young women are underemployed and only one in seven women are in formal full-time employment. Yet research by McKinsey Global Institute shows that gender equality has the potential to boost global gross domestic product by between $12 trillion and $28 trillion between now and 2025 – and transform the lives of millions of people.
This has made women’s economic empowerment a global policy priority. The UK championed the inclusion of a specific goal on gender equality and women’s empowerment in the Sustainable Development Goals and played an integral role in the creation of the UN Secretary General’s High-Level Panel on Women’s Economic Empowerment.
It is now time to ensure that this momentum is transformed into concrete steps to address women’s economic exclusion, both at home and abroad.
Hosted by Rachel Reeves MP, this reception celebrates the progress made so far, considers the High-Level Panel’s new report and Call to Action, and launches ODI’s recommendations for tackling the key constraints to women’s full economic empowerment.