Income inequality is a direct consequence of gender inequality, which makes gender equality important for development. In fact, an entire Global Goal has been dedicated to greater gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.
The question now is how to achieve that goal, and that’s what Susan Markham, USAID Senior Coordinator for Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, discusses on this week’s podcast.
One way, Markham says, is to show men — fathers, brothers, husbands, sons, tribal or political leaders — that “empowering women benefits everyone in the community,” and to educate families about the risks of early marriage and pregnancy. Another is to engage with government and civil-society groups so that gender considerations make it into policy and programs on “everything from ebola to … energy.”
“People say ‘a kilowatt is gender-neutral,’” Markham tells me, “but it’s not. Who gets electricity first? If you have to have rolling electricity, is that during the day or the evening?”
While progress has been made on issues like gender-based violence and women, peace, and security, “we need to be doing more with economic empowerment,” Markham says. Small enterprises and microcredit for women in developing countries are great, but how do we integrate women more fully into the formal work force? Here’s what Markham has to say about USAID’s strategy:
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