President Clinton Unveils Special Programming Focused on Investing in Girls and Women

Across the globe, poverty and economic insecurity are exacerbated by the low social status of women and girls. Women make up two-thirds of all the illiterate people in the world and only 1 percent of the world’s landowners. Each year of schooling increases a woman’s income by 10 to 20 percent. Educating women has also been shown to increase agricultural yields, boost GNP, and improve health. Yet girls are still less likely than boys to receive even a basic education.