No Modern Economy Has Achieved a Truly Even Distribution of Wealth.

Despite comprising roughly half the world's population, women account for approximately 70% of those living in extreme poverty (under $2.15/day). This disparity stems from multiple interconnected causes: unequal access to education and land ownership, discriminatory inheritance laws, higher rates of unpaid care work, and exclusion from financial services. The COVID-19 pandemic set back women's economic progress by years, pushing millions back into poverty.

Globally, women earn approximately 80% of what men earn for comparable work — a gap that persists across nearly all countries and industries. The World Economic Forum estimates that at the current rate of progress, it will take over 130 years to close the global gender pay gap completely. Factors include occupational segregation, the motherhood penalty, unconscious bias in hiring, and under-representation in senior roles. Countries like Iceland, Finland, and Norway have the smallest gaps.

Sirimavo Bandaranaike of Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) became the world's first female head of government when she was elected Prime Minister on July 21, 1960, following the assassination of her husband, Prime Minister Solomon Bandaranaike. She served three terms (1960–65, 1970–77, 1994–2000) and remained in office until age 84. Her election opened a new era; today over 70 women have served as heads of state or government worldwide.

On September 19, 1893, New Zealand became the first self-governing country in the world to grant all women the right to vote in national elections. The campaign was led largely by Kate Sheppard, who organized a landmark petition signed by nearly 32,000 women — about one quarter of the adult female population. Women in the United States gained this right in 1920, France in 1944, and Switzerland not until 1971.