Empowering women is smart economics.

But large gender gaps remain. Women and girls are more likely to die, relative to men and boys, in many low- and middle-income countries such as Kenya, than their counterparts in rich countries. Women earn less and are less economically productive than men almost everywhere across the world, but their predicament is worse in developing countries. And women have less opportunity to shape their lives and make decisions than do men. According to the World Bank’s 2012 World Development Report: Gender Equality and Development, closing these gender gaps matters for development and policymaking. Greater gender equality can enhance economic productivity, improve development outcomes for the next generation, and make institutions and policies more representative.