Mary Ellen Iskenderian: Why the financial inclusion of women matters

One billion women around the world are estimated to be out of the purview of the financial sector. Closing the gender gap “would be the right thing to do as a matter of equity alone,” writes Mary Ellen Iskenderian, the president and CEO of Women’s World Banking (WWB), a global non-profit that seeks to provide low-income women access to financial tools and resources.

Ensuring women’s independent access to finance has another more profound impact on human development. “There is ample evidence that she will spend that money in ways that contribute directly to the well-being of her family…when money in the household is controlled by women, more of the family members are healthier and eat more nutritious diets and children are better educated,” writes Iskenderian, a passionate advocate for financial inclusion.

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