Gender equality is not only a fundamental human right but also a crucial driver of inclusive and sustainable development. Yet, in the Global South, entrenched gender inequality remains a significant barrier to social and economic progress. Women and girls in these regions face persistent challenges in education, employment, leadership and financial independence, limiting their personal potential and constraining their countries’ overall growth.
These disparities are exacerbated by systemic inequalities and the lingering effects of colonialism, which disproportionately affect marginalised communities. Historically, global conversations on gender equality have been dominated by voices from the Global North, leaving those from the Global South underrepresented.
Philanthropy has an increasingly important role to play in advancing gender equality, particularly in the Global South. According to OECD’s August 2024 policy paper, How Philanthropic Foundations Support Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, philanthropic giving towards gender-focused initiatives in developing countries has tripled over five years, from 2017 to 2022. Domestic funding for women’s empowerment has also risen, though at a slower pace than cross-border contributions. While these trends are encouraging, there remains a pressing need for more systemic approaches that address the root causes of gender inequality, rather than just alleviating symptoms.
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Indian foundations have emerged as key contributors to causes such as reproductive health, family planning, combating violence against women and girls, and supporting women’s rights organizations. As per the same paper, between 2016 and 2019, 11 foundations based in India contributed $72 million to such causes, highlighting the essential role of local philanthropy in advancing gender equality across the Global South.
The Global Gender Gap Report 2024 paints a sobering picture of gender inequality in the Global South. Southern Asia’s score of 63.7%, ranking seventh out of eight global regions, highlights the deep-rooted challenges women face in achieving parity. Education, a key factor in breaking cycles of poverty, remains out of reach for many with 129 million girls globally out of school, many of whom are concentrated in the Global South.
The report warns that at the current rate, it will take 134 years to close the global gender gap, “roughly five generations beyond the 2030 Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target” for gender equality. This gap is not just a reflection of systemic barriers, but of the millions of women whose opportunities for education, employment and leadership remain constrained by social, cultural and economic factors.
The World Bank’s findings underscore this disparity, revealing that only 32% of working-age women in the Global South participated in the labour force in 2023, compared to 77% of men. A complex web of obstacles—including limited access to education, unpaid care responsibilities and discriminatory labour practices—continues to stifle women’s economic potential across the region.
Recent research by Bridgespan and Dasra shows that collaborative philanthropic funding has grown significantly over the past decade, driven by increasing wealth accumulation and a rising interest in philanthropy. These collaborative funds, which pool resources and expertise from various stakeholders, offer a promising alternative to traditional philanthropic models in addressing complex social challenges. In the Global South, the number of collaborative funds has grown to at least 175 in the past two decades. Of the 70 funds that participated in a Bridgespan survey, 42% were launched in the last 10 years, and 76% in the last 20 years, reflecting the increasing appeal of this model.
Gender equality has emerged as the common focus of these collaborative funds, followed by environmental justice and climate change. By fostering stronger multi-stakeholder partnerships, these initiatives can catalyse far-reaching changes, unlock greater community engagement and ensure more efficient resource use, creating a collective impact that extends across generations.
Co-Impact’s Gender Fund, based in London and focusing on women-led organisations in India, Asia, Africa and Latin-America, exemplifies the potential of collaborative philanthropy in addressing gender inequality. By pooling funding and expertise, it provides flexible grants and strategic support to locally-rooted partners advancing gender equality and women’s leadership across health, education and economic systems. The fund aims to deploy $1 billion by 2030. Similarly, the Doria Feminist Fund showcases the power of collaboration in supporting feminist movements across the MENA region.
For philanthropy to achieve lasting impact, collaboration with governments is essential. While philanthropy can provide fast-moving risk capital to test and scale innovative solutions, it is government infrastructure, resources and policy-making power that enable these initiatives to grow and sustain their impact. By working together, philanthropy can catalyse system change, while governments can institutionalize it, ensuring that progress is sustainable and scalable.
By committing to bold, long-term investments and building strategic partnerships with governments and local communities, philanthropy can break down entrenched barriers and drive transformative systemic change. Now is the moment for philanthropy to act with vision and purpose, seizing the opportunity to create lasting, meaningful impact to advance gender equality.
Aditi Premji is based in Bengaluru.
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