Melinda French Gates has warned gender equality is falling further out of reach globally, with new data estimating it will not be achieved until 2108, three generations later than previously predicted.
The data comes from the 2022 GoalKeepers report from The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which shows economic progress for women is stalling worldwide. In the report, French Gates writes that it’s imperative women have power – over their own money, bodies and in society.
“True equality depends not only on a woman’s ability to access a livelihood, but also on her ability to control it fully,” she writes.
“It means not just putting food on a kitchen table, but also being able to make decisions for her family around that table. It means not just benefiting from a government policy, but designing those policies. It means not just empowerment, but real, lived power.”
Melinda French Gates also called on governments to invest in digital financial tools for women and childcare infrastructure, which would boost women’s economic security while reaping huge economic rewards. She said women will never gain full economic power without real caregiving infrastructure.
“In low- and middle-income countries, unpaid caregiving makes up more than half of women’s total working hours, meaning they have less time available to earn an income,” she writes.
“Investing in child care infrastructure at scale isn’t just essential for a woman’s sense of autonomy or even her family’s bottom line—it’s the smart thing to do for our economies.”
“When our data partner Fraym conducted large, nationally representative surveys in Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa, they found that if better government child care policies and funding were in place, nearly 15 million women would enter or re-enter the labor force.”
While the COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on gender equality, French Gates says blaming the pandemic alone for the lack of progress would be a cop out.
“We have to ask harder questions: Why do gender-neutral events like pandemics have gendered effects? And why, after decades of high-profile efforts to improve the lives of women and girls, is equality still generations out of reach?” she writes.
“Here’s the honest answer: It’s because the world still hasn’t focused enough on gender equality—and when it does, it treats symptoms, not the cause.”
“We can’t just talk about empowering women without making sure they are actually gaining power in their families and communities.”