August 2, 2023 2 min read

UN Report: More than 90% of the World’s Female Population Live in Countries with a Large Gender Gap

Élanoura - Erika Brechtel Profile

by Erika Brechtel

According to a new report published by UN Women, “fewer than 1% of women and girls globally live in a country with both high women’s empowerment and a small gender gap in areas such as health and education.”

“Meanwhile, 3.1 billion women and girls – more than 90% of the world’s female population – live in countries characterized by a large women’s empowerment deficit and a large gender gap.”

The report introduces the Women’s Empowerment Index (WEI) that measures women’s power and freedom to make choices and seize opportunities across five dimensions:

  • Freedom from violence
  • Participation in decision-making (women founders and executives, representatives in government)
  • Labor and financial inclusion (the right to work and open a bank account)
  • Higher education
  • Health (family planning)

“Too many women and girls are living in countries that only allow them to reach a fraction of their potential and these fresh new insights are ultimately designed to help to effect real change – for real people,” said Achim Steiner, head of the UNDP.

Here’s how you can help reduce this 90% deficit, through us:

  • Join a Global Founder’s Retreat – our #travelwithimpact business retreats are designed to bring financial contributions to nonprofits in our retreat destinations that focus on at least one of these five areas to expand our impact in elevating all women globally.
  • Contribute to the training of an aspiring founder and increase women entrepreneurship and leadership worldwide through our Future Founder Global Fellowship in partnership with nonprofit College Moxie.
  • Invest in a women founder across the globe by contributing to our Global Founder Fellowship in partnership with nonprofit The State of Women Institute.

We invite you to step up and join us in #elevatingwomenglobally!

Source: https://news.un.org/en/story/2023/07/1138807
Photo: Élanoura Global Founder’s Retreat Morocco 2022 at Project Soar, photo by Amanda Lee Domenech

Join a #travelwithimpact
volunteering retreat in Japan with fellow women leaders and founders.

October 10-18, 2026

Join a small circle of women leaders for nine days in Japan: tea ceremony and city lights in Tokyo, onsen and Mt. Fuji views in Hakone, incense and kimono in Kyoto, and a morning of volunteering with the nonprofit Sankakusha, supporting young adults who have left violent or unstable homes with no safe place to stay.

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