Posts by Gender
STEM minus Women = Private Sector Problem
By Kristin Dacey & Sanola Daley* Math and Science are for Men Women are not smart enough to be engineers. Women are not good at math. Isn’t this why globally men earn 70% of doctoral degrees in mathematics and the world rejoiced recently that a woman – Maryam Mirzakhani –won the top prize in mathematics for the first time?
Are women the only ones who need mentors?
Mentoring and work-life balance for men can be good for women and for business A recent article by the Financial Times described a private sector mentor program launched by the 30 Percent Club. It focused on women in the “danger zone” - defined as those between 28 and 38 years old. In the short-term, the program seeks to keep women in the workplace and promote leadership. The end goal is to achieve more women on boards.
Eight ways women can lead with passion
I have to be honest. Until very recently, the words “leadership” and “passion” were not part of my generation’s lexicon. Having to use them together in a sentence, I for one was flat out uncomfortable. Thanks to conversations about "leaning in," the "quest for perfection" and "why women still can't have it all," a dialogue was started - albeit at a bit of a distance from Latin American and the Caribbean professionals. At the IDB headquarters in Washington, DC, the Vice Presidency for the Private Sector sought to bring that dialogue closer to home. Over a hundred colleagues and I attended a conversation with Inez Murray, CEO of the Global Banking Alliance for Women. The personal insights shared left staff smiling, debating and, most importantly, reflecting.
From knowledge to reality: Leveling the playing field for women
What a coincidence that during the same week, the IMF published “Women, Work and the Economy”, the Clinton Global Initiative announced numerous initiatives to empower women and the IDB hosted Jackie VanderBrug to kick off a speaker series highlighting influential professionals who promote women in the private sector. While long overdue, the issue of gender is getting the traction it deserves.
How to mainstream impact investing?
We have consensus that Impact Investing is a fast growing field attracting a lot of attention. The Monitor Group estimates it could grow to $500 billion in the next 10 years, whereas others estimate this figure in the trillions. However, we still lack consensus on what exactly Impact Investing is and what is needed to bring it mainstream. In Tuesday’s Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and GIIN Forum on Impact Investing in Latin America and the Caribbean, GIIN's CEO Luther Ragin defined Impact Investing as an investment made by an investor with the express intention of 1) achieving positive social and/or environmental benefits and 2) earning a rate of return.
Financing for Women Entrepreneurs, Key for Economic Recovery
Support for the sizeable number of women entrepreneurs in Latin America and the Caribbean must include a gender perspective to achieve economic recovery. This implies either specific funding or collateral programs to lower risks for financial institutions.