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Closing the Gender Gap
Gender equality and women’s empowerment are essential for meeting Asia’s aspirations of inclusive and sustainable development. Gender equality needs to be pursued in its own right for a just and equal society, and for better development outcomes - inclusive growth, faster poverty reduction and accelerated progress towards Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) attainment.
ADB has placed gender equality at the “front and center” of its development agenda. Promoting “gender equity” is included as one of the 5 drivers of change in ADB's Strategy 2020. ADB recognizes that without harnessing the talents, human capital and economic potential of women, Asia’s goals of poverty reduction and sustainable development will not be met.
Key Statistics
1 billion
1 in 3 women will be raped or beaten in their lifetime
531 million
Women make up more than two-thirds of the world’s 796 million illiterate people
2%
Of land in the developing world is owned by women on their own. In 1995 it was 1%.
