In the past couple of years, you may have noticed that much attention has been paid to the power of investing in the world's women and girls as a means by which to fight global poverty. In particular, Nike's "Girl Effect" campaign and journalists Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn's book Half the Sky have shone the spotlight on the idea that philanthropic investments in programs and policies that benefit girls and women can improve maternal and child health outcomes, end violence against women, break barriers to women's political participation and, ultimately, break the cycle of intergenerational poverty experienced by the world's poor, 70% of whom are women.
To date, only 7% of all philanthropic dollars are allocated to address needs specific to women and girls; that amount is barely enough to meaningfully address the deep and complex challenges they face. Fortunately, women the world over are organizing to address this disparity. Thanks to higher levels of education and, in turn, higher incomes, women's capacity for philanthropy has greatly increased in the past half century. According to research conducted by the Women's Philanthropy Institute at the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, women at virtually every income level are more likely to give to charity and to give more money on average than their male counterparts.
Read full article, The Power Of Investing In Women at forbes.com.