The Federal Reserve (Fed) reduced its target federal funds rate by 25bp at its December policy meeting. Chair Powell acknowledged that risks to both sides of the Fed’s dual mandate — inflation and labour markets — remain. However, we believe some signals from the Fed suggest labour markets are weaker than current data indicates.
Persistent gender disparities in economic opportunity and access to finance continue to constrain global growth and resilience – particularly in emerging markets, where institutional barriers remain deeply entrenched. According to the World Bank’s 2024 “Women, Business and the Law” report, eliminating discriminatory laws and practices that hinder women’s participation in the workforce could increase global GDP by over 20%, effectively doubling the global growth rate over the next decade. Reducing gender employment gaps could raise GDP per capita by an average of 35%, with productivity gains from workplace diversity contributing over half that value.
Gender lens investing has traditionally focused on use-of-proceeds instruments such as social and sustainability bonds that earmark a portion of proceeds for gender-focused initiatives. These predominantly corporate-issued instruments, though still a small share of the overall market, have grown steadily in recent years - from roughly USD 5 billion outstanding in 2020 to nearly USD 15 billion by the end of 2023. They play a critical role in catalyzing awareness, innovation, and market credibility, with built-in accountability and transparency mechanisms that remain central to advancing gender-lens investing.