Empowering women helps countries overcome crises, unleash trillions of dollars in
economic potential, and improve community wellbeing. Yet, globally, the advancement in women’s education has not translated into better jobs, more assets, or stronger voice for women. How, then, to accelerate equality?
It is probably fair to say that the World Bank’s latest report on intergenerational mobility – Fair Progress? Economic Mobility across Generations around the World – is the first-ever attempt to paint a truly global picture of how achievement – or the lack thereof – is transmitted across generations. Though there are results for income mobility for a subset of countries, most of the analysis focuses on educational attainment across 148 economies, representing over 95% of the world’s population.
This year’s International Women’s Day “Women in the Changing World of Work: Planet 
50-50 by 2030” places great emphasis on equality and economic empowerment. When countries give women greater opportunities to particip
ate in the economy, the benefits extend far beyond individual girls and women but also to societies and economies as a whole. Addressing gender gaps in accessing good quality jobs is not just the right thing to do from a human rights perspective; it is also smart economics. A recent study shows that raising labor participation of women at par with men can increase GDP in the United States by 5 percent, in the UAE by 12 percent and in Egypt by 34 percent.
Netherlands for the World Bank 