Fighting gender inequality essential to curbing growing wealth gap, IMF report shows

Oxfam applauds today’s report by the International Monetary Fund, which argues that tackling gender inequality is not only an objective in itself, it's a key part of reducing the huge wealth gap between the rich and the poor.

Julie Delahanty, Executive Director of Oxfam Canada, said: “Today’s IMF report shows that working toward women’s economic equality should be a no-brainer for governments, since it leads to higher growth and reduces inequality. We know that gender is the most persistent predictor of poverty and powerlessness in our world today. When women are denied equal access to healthcare, education, jobs, or financial services, it’s not only unfair, it’s a huge blow to a country’s economy and society.”

“We are in a pivotal moment for Canada to show leadership in creating a more sustainable and equitable world.The recent Credit Suisse report has revealed that inequality is growing even faster than we thought, and we can only help reverse this trend by tackling deep-rooted, structural forms of gender inequality, at home and abroad.”

The report, “Catalyst for Change: Empowering Women and Tackling Income Inequality,” proposes several positive solutions, such as gender budgeting, fostering women’s participation in the labor force, and improving their access to quality health and education.

Delahanty said: “We urge the Government of Canada, and all governments, to curb violence against women, encourage their political participation, and help ease the disproportionate responsibilities they shoulder when it comes to unpaid care work as women’s economic equality requires parallel progress in all areas of women's lives.”