“In 2019 I want to have better productivity, improved health, better relationship with my friends and family, and making less waste. I’m sure I can achieve all of these by the end of this year, #2019Goals!”
Just like us, countries all over the world have and agreed to their own resolutions, only that they were set for a longer period of time, where it was set back in 2015 and is aimed to be achieved in 2030. They call that Sustainable Development Goals, a blueprint of development consisting of 17 goals in overcoming a number of social and economic development issues, including, “achieving gender equality and empower all women and girls,” according to the Sustainable Development Goals website. As active citizens, we too can contribute to the achievement of these goals as easy as through investing in women in our everyday lives.
You would ask, why should we invest in women? Because according to World Bank, turns out, we are losing $160 trillion in wealth due to gender equality. Our Asian nations are part of the countries with the largest loss alongside North American and European countries, accounting $40 to $50 trillion loss of global wealth. Quentin Wodon, the lead economist from World Bank Group, expressed that human capital accounts to ⅔ of global wealth. So, this means that investing in women and gender equality equals better prosperity for all.
So, in what ways can we invest in women in our everyday lives? We can start from our home. For example, we can challenge or subvert the traditional gender roles in our cultures that still posit women and girls as subordinates to men and boys. Divya Nair from The Asian Parent calls for parents to encourage and let children pick their own goals, including when girls decide they want to play basketball or become engineers. When we go shopping, we can support the 6 million women-owned small businesses in Asia. Look out for the women-owned coffee shops near you, they can be your next go-to place for latte!
And finally, form a workplace sisterhood. Because the higher up the career ladder, the lonelier it gets, so bring your girls up with you. Think of how much economic wealth we can bring back to the table if we start investing in women around us! So, what do you say? Ready to add investing in women as part of your #Goals?