2023-Public-Sector-Perspectives

Investing in women Gender inequity has been a systemic issue in the public and private sector throughout history. However, growing evidence suggests that pursuing gender equity as an investment strategy yields positive benefits in terms of returns and business growth as well as broader benefits for society. Gender lens investing (GLI), an impact investing strategy which takes into consideration gender- based factors across the investment process to advance gender equality, has complementary and compounding effects on the strength and long-term success of the investment or business, including: • Financial outperformance: Companies with women in executive management (or on their boards) outperform companies that have no women in senior roles. • Securing talent from a larger pool: Despite being 50% of the world’s population, women are underrepresented in the workforce. This neglects a valuable pool of talent, and limits diversity within an organization. Overall, gender diversity is a strength. • Empowering women economically creates a virtuous circle: The purchasing power of women is growing around the world, and companies and investors are taking note of the opportunities emerging. Women are also investors and are applying investment strategies with a gender equity vantage point. 6 6 h ttps://thegiin.org/gender-lens-investing-initiative/ Citi Perspectives for the Public Sector 29