One of the largest problems we face in this world is the empowerment of the female population.  That’s right LUXies, the future of our world and the health of our planet means we must find more effective ways to impact the lives of underserved women and children.  ‘Investing’ in women will have positive impacts on our world in so many different ways!

Bill Clinton stated some unfortunate statistics at his 2009 annual discussion at the Clinton Global Initiative in New York City:

-Women do 66% of the world’s work yet make a stunningly low 10% of the world’s income and own a meager 1% of the world’s property.

-57% of the HIV positive population in Sub Saharan Africa are women.

-75% of the infected youth in Africa are female.

In most developing nations, women continue to struggle to simply put food on the table.  With climate change gaining more traction it seems investing in the empowerment of women and girls is becoming a more important topic to discuss. One way to impact climate change is to find a way to influence the population of our planet.  Education is a way for women to become skilled, as well as help to create more sustainable societies for the future.  This is definitely a win-win advantage that’s desperately needed.

Though at this point, ‘less then $.02 cents of every development dollar is spent on the female population’ in developing countries, which makes it quite difficult to gain the momentum needed to make a lasting impact.  The good news is that the lack of resources is definitely gaining attention by some notables, The Nike Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.  These big names are launching a ‘Global Health Agenda for Girls,’ which was also announced at the Clinton Global Initiative at the 5th annual meeting on September 22-25.

Most agree that one way to combat poverty is to expand continual education, which will pave the way for more autonomous careers.  These opportunities will also extend to increased accessibility to healthcare and medicine.  As the world of possibilities expands, so does a woman’s mind.  This has a greater influence on decision-making abilities, providing even greater hope for empowered people!
LUX Nation, we value your opinion and insights!  What do you believe is the most important way to shift the underserved females of our planet? What are some ways you are willing to be a part of the shift to make this happen?