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Education & Work

Education and access to dignified work are the most powerful tools for overcoming poverty.

A girl wearing a bright green collared shirt holds a workbook under her arm and stands in front of a chalkboard. The chalkboard is full of math and spelling problems written in many different colors of chalk.
CARE / John Hewat

Our 2030 Goal: Empower 50 million people with equal access to and control over economic resources and opportunities.

Around the world, 131 million girls are missing out on school, and girls are 50% more likely to lose the opportunity for education than boys.

This disparity continues into adulthood, where only 55% of women can access paid work compared to 78% of men. 

Economic inequality has a global cost. The World Bank estimates that inequality for women and girls in the workplace could cost the global economy $160 trillion—twice the world’s total annual GDP. 

Limited access to financial services adds to the challenge. Right now: 

  • 1.7 billion adults lack access to a bank account. 1 billion of those adults are women. 
  • Laws in 72 countries restrict women from opening bank accounts or accessing credit. 
  • Violence against women, both in and outside the workplace, costs the global economy $1.5 trillion.

CARE is working to change this by increasing access to education, financial tools, and dignified work opportunities for women and girls.