Gender Equality

As China’s fertility rate falls to roughly half the replacement level of 2.1, Beijing is scrambling to boost births through policy incentives. But the decline now resembles a boulder rolling downhill—hard to stop and harder to reverse. With deep socioeconomic factors at play, success looks steep.

Women do a great many things better—but this is acknowledged only so long as the work is unpaid. Once skill turns into income, power or prestige, women are edged out and men step in. From kitchens to coding, the pattern raises questions of social equity and economic growth.

Women's lived experiences and cross-functional expertise infuse new thinking for organizational growth and innovation

At some firms, women accounted for almost half the promotions to the role of partner and above over the past five years, industry watchers and insiders estimate. What's driving this, and how is it changing the industry?

As global trade faces headwinds, low- and middle-income countries must look inward for growth. Unlocking women’s participation and fixing talent misallocation could unleash gains and turn an overlooked distortion into a lever for economic resilience. It's simply pragmatic.