## Christine Lagarde: A Global Imperative to Empower Women

## Source details

**Canonical URL:** [Christine Lagarde: A Global Imperative to Empower Women](https://www.imf.org/en/publications/fandd/issues/2019/03/empowering-women-critical-for-global-economy-lagarde)

## Other formats

- [Markdown version](/en/publications/fandd/issues/2019/03/empowering-women-critical-for-global-economy-lagarde/index.md)
- [Structured JSON version](/en/publications/fandd/issues/2019/03/empowering-women-critical-for-global-economy-lagarde/index.json)
- [Bundle manifest](/en/publications/fandd/issues/2019/03/empowering-women-critical-for-global-economy-lagarde/bundle-manifest.json)

## Bibliographic details
- Authors: CHRISTINE LAGARDE
- Published: March 1, 2019

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### Overview
- Publication: F&D Magazine
- Author: CHRISTINE LAGARDE (former IMF managing director)
- Date: March 2019
- Context: March 8 marks International Women’s Day; the article reflects on persistent gender-equality challenges—including sexual harassment and violence, unequal laws, and workplace unfairness—affecting women’s participation in the economy.

### Policy recommendations (roles for policymakers)
- Design policies that help women and girls access:
  - education
  - health services
  - safe transportation
  - legal protection against harassment
  - finance
  - flexible working arrangements
- Use policy design to reduce marginalization and increase women’s participation as productive individuals contributing to society and the economy.

### IMF role and approach
- The IMF recommends and works with member countries to examine how policies affect women.
- The IMF has increased emphasis on women’s empowerment because it represents a missed opportunity for macroeconomic stability and inclusive growth—areas of IMF expertise.
- The IMF’s 189 member countries face different challenges, but empowering women is framed as a common denominator and a global imperative.

### Research findings and key statistics
- For the bottom half of countries in the IMF sample in terms of gender inequality, closing the gender gap in employment could increase GDP by an average of 35 percent.
  - Of this increase, 7–8 percentage points are productivity gains due to gender diversity.
- Adding one more woman in a firm’s senior management or corporate board—while keeping the size of the board unchanged—is associated with an 8–13 basis point higher return on assets.
- Increasing the share of women in senior positions in banks and among financial supervisors would make the banking sector more stable.

### Framing and conclusions
- Empowering women is presented as both an ethical imperative and an economic opportunity: greater gender equality contributes to fairness, diversity, productivity, and more inclusive growth.
- The payoff from gender-equality policies is shared: “If we can achieve this, we all gain.”

*Christine Lagarde: A Global Imperative to Empower Women – IMF Finance & Development Magazine | March 2019*

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## Content in this bundle

- **حتمية عالمية**
  - [حتمية عالمية (Markdown version)](/-/media/files/publications/fandd/article/2019/march/ar/lagarde.pdf.md){rel="alternate" type="text/markdown"}
  - [حتمية عالمية (PDF)](/-/media/files/publications/fandd/article/2019/march/ar/lagarde.pdf){rel="external" type="application/pdf"}
- **Empowering women is critical for the world’s economy and people**
  - [Empowering women is critical for the world’s economy and people (Markdown version)](/-/media/files/publications/fandd/article/2019/march/empowering-women-critical-for-global-economy-lagarde.pdf.md){rel="alternate" type="text/markdown"}
  - [Empowering women is critical for the world’s economy and people (PDF)](/-/media/files/publications/fandd/article/2019/march/empowering-women-critical-for-global-economy-lagarde.pdf){rel="external" type="application/pdf"}
- **Un imperativo mundial ● Finanzas y Desarrollo ● Marzo de 2019**
  - [Un imperativo mundial ● Finanzas y Desarrollo ● Marzo de 2019 (Markdown version)](/-/media/files/publications/fandd/article/2019/march/es/empowering-women-critical-for-global-economy-lagarde.pdf.md){rel="alternate" type="text/markdown"}
  - [Un imperativo mundial ● Finanzas y Desarrollo ● Marzo de 2019 (PDF)](/-/media/files/publications/fandd/article/2019/march/es/empowering-women-critical-for-global-economy-lagarde.pdf){rel="external" type="application/pdf"}
- **Un impératif mondial**
  - [Un impératif mondial (Markdown version)](/-/media/files/publications/fandd/article/2019/march/fr/empowering-women-critical-for-global-economy-lagarde.pdf.md){rel="alternate" type="text/markdown"}
  - [Un impératif mondial (PDF)](/-/media/files/publications/fandd/article/2019/march/fr/empowering-women-critical-for-global-economy-lagarde.pdf){rel="external" type="application/pdf"}
- **今世界が取り組むべき緊急課題; クリスティーヌ・ラガルド, ファイナンス＆ディベロップメント2019年3月号**
  - [今世界が取り組むべき緊急課題; クリスティーヌ・ラガルド, ファイナンス＆ディベロップメント2019年3月号 (Markdown version)](/-/media/files/publications/fandd/article/2019/march/jp/lagarde.pdf.md){rel="alternate" type="text/markdown"}
  - [今世界が取り組むべき緊急課題; クリスティーヌ・ラガルド, ファイナンス＆ディベロップメント2019年3月号 (PDF)](/-/media/files/publications/fandd/article/2019/march/jp/lagarde.pdf){rel="external" type="application/pdf"}
- **Настоятельная глобальная задача – Финансы и развитие – март 2019 года**
  - [Настоятельная глобальная задача – Финансы и развитие – март 2019 года (Markdown version)](/-/media/files/publications/fandd/article/2019/march/ru/empowering-women-critical-for-global-economy-lagarde.pdf.md){rel="alternate" type="text/markdown"}
  - [Настоятельная глобальная задача – Финансы и развитие – март 2019 года (PDF)](/-/media/files/publications/fandd/article/2019/march/ru/empowering-women-critical-for-global-economy-lagarde.pdf){rel="external" type="application/pdf"}
- **全球的当务之急 - 金融与发展**
  - [全球的当务之急 - 金融与发展 (Markdown version)](/-/media/files/publications/fandd/article/2019/march/zh/empowering-women-critical-for-global-economy-lagarde.pdf.md){rel="alternate" type="text/markdown"}
  - [全球的当务之急 - 金融与发展 (PDF)](/-/media/files/publications/fandd/article/2019/march/zh/empowering-women-critical-for-global-economy-lagarde.pdf){rel="external" type="application/pdf"}

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_Source: https://www.imf.org/en/publications/fandd/issues/2019/03/empowering-women-critical-for-global-economy-lagarde_