Gender Lens Investing 2025 is a Review of Sustainable and Equality-focused Investing. The report examines the latest performance and composition of gender lens equity funds and provides updates on gender lens fixed income, DEI equity funds, and women in the economy. The review includes:
Our analysis of global AUM in public and private gender lens investing asset classes.
We present our 17th quarterly review of gender lens and sustainable investing, marking our fifth year-end summary of data and developments in (a) women in the global economy and workplace and (b) sustainable and equality-focused investing. As we first published several years ago, we define gender lens investing (GLI) as investing in women, by women, and for women. With progress on closing ever-present global economic and financial gender gaps stalling in recent years, we see continued opportunities to direct resources across the capital markets spectrum towards women borrowers, gender equality projects, the incorporation of social equality into all environmental and climate-related investing, and towards workplaces that walk the equality-promotion walk on representation in all levels of workforce and leadership, pay, and policies.
In the face of political pushback against equality, underrepresented populations remain partially or fully excluded from economic and financial participation in all global regions. Despite pressures on sustainable investing, investor demand for it remains strong. At Parallelle Finance, we will continue providing research and consulting services around sustainable investing, as well as investment advisory services.
- The report begins with News from the Field, following from International Women’s Month. The latest data on financial and economic gender gaps demonstrate stalled progress on many fronts, including for women in corporate leadership.
- We follow with a discussion of 2025 sustainable investing trends, including continued strong demand from investors.
- In addition, the report includes our quarterly update on equality-focused equity funds. A small group of technology stocks continued its narrow leadership of U.S. and global equity markets during the fourth quarter. In equality-related equities, AUM for publicly traded gender lens equity funds (GLEFs) totaled $4.5 billion in AUM as of December 31, 2024. With a slight downward tick, AUM growth was largely flat for the quarter.
- Diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) equity funds totaled US$2.0 billion in AUM as of December 31, 2024. AUM growth was flat for the fourth quarter. These funds focus on investing in companies with robust DEI policies or social justice track records.
We announce the results of our analysis of global AUM in gender lens investing across the capital markets spectrum. This includes available AUM data in segments of both public and private GLI asset classes. (See Insert after Section 2) We estimate that global GLI investment assets totaled at least $122 billion as of March 31, 2025.
AUM in Gender bonds reached $57.1 billion as of December 31, 2024. Parallelle Finance expanded Gender bond types are the following. (See Section 3 for AUM and our definitions of each type.)
- Use-of-proceeds primary Gender bonds
- Use-of-proceeds component Gender bonds
- Performance-based Gender bonds
- Wider scope (not included in AUM): ICMA, SDG, ESG aligned bonds that exhibit allocations not specified pre-issuance.
In addition to Gender bonds, our database includes $1 billion in gender lens bond funds, notes, and certificates available to individual investors, bringing the AUM in our coverage universe of gender lens fixed income to $58 billion as of December 31, 2024.
With this edition, we introduce expanded AUM data and classifications on Gender bonds – equality-focused sustainable bond issuances.