Gender Inequality Causes Poverty Briefer

Through the Women’s Economic Empowerment and Equality Technical Assistance (WE3 TA) task order, Banyan Global produced the “Gender Inequality Causes Poverty Briefer” highlighting the long-standing and structural barriers contributing to gender inequality, preventing women from full economic participation, and consequently causing and perpetuating poverty. In international rankings, such as the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report, the countries where women have the fewest freedoms, including economic rights, are also shown to be the poorest and most conflict-ridden in the world. The evidence all points in the same direction: that unequal conditions for women and girls are a causal contributor to poverty and suffering around the world. In other words, gender inequality is not a symptom of poverty, but a fundamental cause of poverty. If we are to eliminate poverty in emerging economies, we will have to resolve gender inequality first, with a focus on economic inclusion.

Linda Scott authored this brief under the Women’s Economic Empowerment and Equality Technical Assistance Task Order. The author’s views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect the views of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) or the United States Government. This publication was produced for review by USAID. It was prepared by Banyan Global for the Women’s Economic Empowerment and Equality Technical Assistance task order under the Advancing the Agenda of Gender Equality indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract.