Seoul the G20 and Gender Issues - Building Gender Balanced Business

• Shannon Atkeson, a senior official of the International Finance Corporation, declared that her agency also backed the presence of women’s issues on the G20 agenda.

• A myriad of independent studies have drawn the conclusion that investing in women translates into increased returns and higher growth rates.

“When you want to invest and create GDP, there is no better or more effective investment – no lower-hanging fruit to pick- than investing in women.”
Lloyd C. Blankfein, Goldman Sachs CEO

• The U.S Department of State reported that a U.N agency determined that the barriers standing in the way of women fulfilling their economic potential were costing the Asia-Pacific region somewhere between $42 and $46 billion in GDP.

• The State Department asserts that the economic participation of women is one of the keys to economic prosperity as well as social progress because it is estimated that they allocate 90% of their incomes to their families and communities.

“Every paycheck to a woman is thus, in essence, also an investment in the human capital of the next generation.”
Shannon Atkeson

• Clinton argued that many women were unable to find access to the financial tools that would enable them and their families to climb out of poverty.

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