UN Women

At the end of December 2011, UN Women launched their latest publication The Gender Dividend: A Business Case for Equality.

In her opening to the report, Michelle Bachelet – UN Women Executive Director – said:

“The challenges we face today are considerable. The increasing gaps in wealth and income that have accompanied global growth have deepened with the economic crisis and pushed millions of workers, especially women, into permanent informal employment. Political conflict and natural disasters are driving up fuel and food prices, threatening livelihoods and straining household coping strategies in both developed and developing countries. Yet we are seeing progress. Over 125 countries have outlawed domestic violence; at least 117 have equal pay laws; 187 have ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women; and 115 guarantee equal property rights. The constitutions of 139 countries and territories now guarantee gender equality. As we see in countries throughout the Arab region, especially in Northern Africa, women who once stayed out of the public arena are now standing alongside men to demand freedom, dignity and the right to participate in revitalizing their societies.

Read Report: the-gender_dividend-a_business_case_for_gender_equality