#GoalFive: Gender Equality

Over the coming days, world leaders will convene for the annual United Nations General Assembly to agree upon the 17 proposed sustainable development goals (SDGs) that aim to end poverty, tackle inequality and combat climate change.

Goal #5 is to achieve gender equality – including expanding financial inclusion in order to empower women and bring them into the financial fold. According to the World Bank, 1.1 billion women have no access or do not participate in the financial system and only 58% of women around the world participate in banking, compared to 65% of men. 

Financial inclusion for women is the core tenet of our mission here at Grameen America.  We move closer to a world of gender equality by providing microloans to women who otherwise have no access to financial services so that they can start businesses, generate income for their families and gain financial independence. When women have equal financial access, families and communities thrive.

This is why we charge global leaders with the heavy responsibility of breaking economic barriers for women across the world so that all might be empowered as economic engines in their own right.