This is a sobering statement. It was also one of the headlines in late 2019 when the World Economic Forum released its latest Global Gender Gap Report.  According to the report, it will take 99.5 years — more than a lifetime — for women and men to reach parity across health, education, work, and politics.

That is why Dining for Women is more committed
than ever to achieving global gender equality.

All over the world, inequality, oppression, and exploitation continue to hold women back. And we know that oppression of women and girls intersects with other types of injustice based on race, class, and ethnicity. Across the global south, millions of Black and Brown women live in extreme poverty and without access to personal freedoms or opportunities to reach their full potential.

Global gender equality is Dining for Women’s guiding star. We champion gender equality because women’s rights are human rights. We believe that every person deserves the same opportunities to thrive, regardless of gender, race, wealth, or where they happen to be born. When women and girls are treated equally, the world is healthier, safer, more peaceful, inclusive, and economically just for everyone.

You can read more about the status of global gender equality and DFW’s commitment to achieving it in our newly-released 2019 annual report. We also discuss the catastrophic impacts of COVID-19 on women and girls globally.

I have heard COVID-19 referred to as the “great equalizer,” but this is inaccurate. COVID-19 is sexist.  With hunger and malnutrition rates doubling in the world, death from AIDS increasing at astronomical rates, and 100 million people falling into poverty, women and girls are more affected and more deeply affected.  Gender-based violence and teen pregnancy is on the rise, while services for both are declining due to reduced funding and social distancing.  The worsening impact of Covid-19 on the lives of women and girls is more evident every day.

At Dining for Women, we are planning our response to a world that looks worse for women than it has in years. We need clear strategies and goals that will strengthen the impact of our work. We also need new strategies for engaging our current members and attracting more people to our fight. As the world shifts to new ways of living and working, we cannot be complacent in our actions.  Thank you for being with us for the new challenges coming our way.