Why Do We Care About the Gender Gap and What to Do About It?

Today we celebrate International Women's Day, and I celebrate my mother's 84th birthday.

The truth is that my mother never knew when her real birthday was - that date and her birth mom were lost during the war in the early 1940s in China. In the following decades, she fought against stereotypes, launched an impressive career as an educator, and built a safe and happy home for us children alongside my father in Taiwan.

I did not fully appreciate how unusual it was (and still is) for many women to make life choices for themselves compared to men. Accordingly to a report from UNICEF, more than half of the illiterate youth population today are females (56%), even though there are fewer women in the world (49.5 % based on a UN report). Furthermore, with the same level of education and experience, women earn 20-30 % less than men (International Trade Confederation)

The results? Forced marriages, underaged brides, abusive relationships, unwanted pregnancies, unhappy homes, and finally, unending childhood trauma for the next generations. On the global level, giving women an equal chance to live, learn. and love means economic development and a sustainable future for all. (Global Gender Gap Index 2020)

Today we celebrate International Women's Day by getting ready for our next Buddies Without Borders Online Forum: Half the Sky - Creating Economic Opportunities for Women. Here is the Interest Form. No matter if you are a boy or a girl, we welcome your ideas and actions on this journey of creating a more equitable future for everyone.