Why our economy is just plain sexist

20 January 2020 | Danny Sriskandarajah | Tags: ,

As the world’s rich and powerful gathered in Davos for the World Economic Forum, Oxfam published its annual report on global inequality. This year we highlighted how our upside-down economy chronically under-values the billions of hours of caring – cleaning, cooking, looking after children and the elderly – predominantly done by women and girls, who are often left little time to get an education, earn a decent living or have a say in how our societies are run. When 22 men have more wealth than all the women in Africa combined, it’s clear that our economy is just plain sexist. We urged world leaders to invest in care and other public services that make life easier for those with care responsibilities, and tackle the discrimination holding back women and girls. Gender justice has to be at the start and heart of tackling poverty and inequality.