Gender Inequality Causes Poverty Briefer

Linda Scott authored this brief under the Women’s Economic Empowerment and Equality Technical Assistance Task Order. 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.