There are three Key Policy Areas for Women’s Economic Empowerment: Education, Employment and Family.

"...we have estimates that, if the number of female workers were to increase to the same level as the number of men, GDP in the United States would expand by 5 percent, by 9 percent in Japan, and by 27 percent in India. These estimates, while of course tentative, are significant and large enough to be taken seriously. This applies particularly to countries where potential growth is declining as the population is ageing...The (2014) G-20’s pledge to reduce the gap in women’s labor force participation by 25 percent over the next decade holds the potential to empower women in a historic way. More than this, it holds the potential to boost growth, raise overall per capita income, tackle poverty, and reduce income inequality for people all over the world", says Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, in her keynote address at the W-20 Summit on 6 September 2015. Read full speech.