As the pandemic and subsequent economic downturn unfolded, a rush of studies highlighted the unique effect of COVID-19 on women in the global economy. Researchers have called on governments, multilateral institutions, and private employers to place women and girls front and center in recovery efforts.
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The Rise of Endowments in Gender Lens Investing
As the investable assets of nonprofit entities, endowments comprise an important segment of institutional investment capital. A growing focus on how these assets can successfully invest in environmental, social, and governance (ESG) strategies has shed new light on the potential for gender lens investing by endowments.
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Q3 2020 Overview – Gender Lens Funds: Ups and Downs for Women in the Workforce
The third quarter was an eventful one for gender lens investing as well as women in leadership (WIL) in the financial sector and elsewhere.
Gender lens equity funds turned in modest positive returns, a trajectory in line with the broader market. This suite of mutual funds and exchange-traded funds (ETFs), which developed in response to evidence that companies with higher WIL metric generate superior financial and stock price performance, includes 23 primary gender lens equity funds that are available to individual investors. Of these, nine are global and 14 are regional.
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The Role of Shareholder Engagement in Achieving Pay Equity
Widespread gender pay inequality remains a component of the global gender gap. In the movement for gender pay equity, mandates on pay gap reporting are driving progress in some countries, while in the US, progress has come largely thanks to shareholder engagement.
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Why Should Investors Seek Diverse Supply Chains?
Against the ongoing challenges of global inequality, gender lens investing is growing and positioned to expand beyond WIL into additional areas where metrics around the benefits of gender equity are slowly emerging. This includes supplier diversity and inclusion, which describes an organization’s commitment to maintain a diverse pool of women and other underrepresented business owners in the procurement process.
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