Greater Than the Sum
The “Greater than the Sum” series highlights stories of women leveraging their economic power to create exponential impact in their own lives and the lives of those in their communities.
When women are able to fully pursue economic opportunities and make decisions over their own lives, their families, communities and countries will be stronger and more resilient. But nothing is more powerful than hearing from women themselves. Featuring the stories of five passionate women from around the world, this series brings you along their journeys of breaking the status quo while also opening doors for other women to claim their own economic power.
In each episode, we peek into the lives of women who share their interests, their aspirations, the challenges they face, and demonstrate just how important women’s power is. This story series reveals how women’s ability to thrive, especially in the economy, requires that systems are designed to support them.
Digital public infrastructure
Digital public infrastructure enables faster and better access to many things that women need to improve their lives, including bank accounts, credit, government services, and more.
How access to digital financial services spurs economic growth
Agriculture
Empowering women who work in food and agriculture presents a major opportunity to achieve progress for everyone. As the main source of income for hundreds of millions of people around the world, it is critical that the progress of agriculture is truly inclusive. Women are so important to food production that supporting them with what they need to succeed would add nearly $1 trillion to the global economy while reducing food insecurity by 2 percent–meaning at least 45 million people who go hungry today would have enough to eat.
Capital
In sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, women business owners receive as few as 10% of loans issued to small and medium-sized businesses, creating an estimated $1.7 trillion financing gap for women entrepreneurs. When women don’t have the same access to much-needed capital as men, it holds back women, their businesses, and entire economies.
See how access to capital for women entrepreneurs fuels economies
Women’s health
When the odds were against her, Dr. Stellah Bosire overcame every barrier imaginable. Today, she pays it forward to her community in Kibera, Kenya to ensure that women have access to the health care they need, while forging paths for women entrepreneurs along the way.
Child care
Affordable, high-quality childcare has the power to transform lives—and economies. For one Kenyan mother, childcare was the difference between losing her job and starting and growing her own successful business.
Related work on gender equality
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Women’s Economic Power
This page contains content about a prior Gates Foundation initiative. Click here to see how we are continuing to expand economic opportunity across the globe. Greater Than the Sum Featuring the…
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Women in Leadership
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