A Decade Of Gender Equity In 10 Trends
I want to share with you 10 highlights from my annual report: A Decade Of Gender Equity In 10 Trends. The report identifies the key trends in intersectional gender equity from the past decade, quantifies them, and then projects what level of progress might be possible in the decade ahead. Here’s a sneak peek of the 10 trends I discuss in the report.
Educational Attainment
UNESCO estimates that 11 million girls in lower-income countries are at risk of permanently dropping out of school. It’s a shame, because educating girls ranks higher than electric cars, nuclear power, and recycling in combating the climate crisis. And, a country’s GDP per capita increases by 10% for each additional year of education.
Women On The Global Agenda
A gender-based economic recovery plan could add $13 trillion to global GDP by 2030. Conversely, a gender-blind recovery plan would lower global GDP growth by $1 trillion over the next decade.
Women In Politics
Kamala Harris became the first woman Vice President of the US and Kathy Hochul became the first woman governor of New York. Gender equity in politics matters because women are 10% more effective legislators and deliver 9% more money in federal programs to home districts compared to men politicians.
Removing Lead From The Glass Ceiling
The #MeToo movement took off in 2017 and gave survivors of sexual harassment a voice to speak out on matters of equity. Four years later and the battle to combat workplace harassment rattles on. Andrew Cuomo resigned as governor of New York. Six state treasurers called on Activision Blizzard to examine its toxic workplace while shareholders called on the company’s CEO, Bobby Kotick, to resign amid a deluge of sexual harrassment claims. Pinterest paid $22.5 million in a gender discrimination lawsuit from Françoise Brougher. Meanwhile, legislation to end forced arbitration among private employees in cases of on-the-job harassment is advancing in Congress.
The Pay Gap
The pandemic widened the gender pay gap by 5 percentage points, dropping the US back to 1998 levels in terms of gender pay equity. Prior to the pandemic, gender pay equity represented a $512 billion opportunity for the US economy.
Redefining Masculinity
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg went on paid parental leave. More dads wish to join him, but outdated gender narratives hold them back. Less than 5% of new dads take at least two weeks off after the birth of a child even though nearly half of new dads support paid parental leave. Creating stigma-free pathways for fathers to engage more with their households improves outcomes for everyone. In fact, a gender-neutral allocation of household labor would increase output per hour by 5.4%—freeing families to spend more time together.
Voting Rights
We commemorated a bittersweet centennial of the 19th Amendment in August 2020. Despite renewed calls for racial justice, voters—predominantly those of color—battled a spider web of tactics as they sought to cast their ballot. For instance, Milwaukee went from 180 polling locations to five during the April 2020 elections—resulting in long lines that inhibited access to the ballot box.
Women’s Labor Force Participation
The first eleven months of the pandemic shaved off 32 years of progress toward gender equity in the labor market. The US went back to 1988 levels in terms of labor market gender equity, causing a $1.4 trillion write-off in economic growth. As of November 2021, women’s labor force participation has “progressed” to 1989 levels (57.5%).
The Future Of Work And AI
Women now make up 32% of the global AI and data talent base. We have closed the gap by ten points since 2020, when women made up only 22% of the global AI talent base. We must continue to narrow the gender gap in future-of-work jobs, otherwise women, businesses, and our economy will be left behind. A Pipeline study across 4,161 companies in 29 countries found that for every 10% increase in gender equity, revenues increase by 1 to 2%.
The Equal Rights Amendment
Virginia became the 38th state to ratify the ERA in 2020, but progress remains stalled. If passed, the ERA would guarantee equal legal rights for all Americans—regardless of sex, and become the 28th amendment to the US Constitution. As it stands, the US is among the 24% of countries globally without a constitutional provision for gender equality.
This issue matters for everyone, especially the 16 million breadwinner moms who support 28 million children in the US. Breadwinner moms make only 66 cents for every dollar breadwinner dads make. Why are those 28 million kids worth less to society than the children of breadwinner dads? It’s time to make gender equity a reality.
Learn more about each trend and the economics underlying them by downloading a personal copy of the report here.