Invest in women

It is becoming abundantly clear that investments in women are both a moral imperative and a necessity during such dire global straits. In recent years academics, policy-makers and business leaders have become increasingly vocal regarding the economic empowerment of women, arguing how prosperity is highly reliant on securing better and safer jobs for women, as well as giving them access to finance to start their own businesses. Women are far more likely to invest their earnings in their communities and families, which pays dividends in everything from economic prosperity to child health practices.

The International Labor Organization's most recent global unemployment data has us in the throws of the highest unemployment rates on record - roughly 212 million individuals were without jobs in 2009. Coinciding studies also find that girls and women are often the first to suffer from economic crises: They experience employment losses more severely than men; lose access to credit; and miss out on educational opportunities.

Faced with these stark realities, and the subsequent need to generate jobs and economic opportunities for both genders and all ages, it is absolutely crucial that women are given the agency to begin taking social and economic claims in their communities. Societies must begin equipping girls and women with the knowledge and tools to start their own businesses, and to become active leaders in their communities. While for years gender equality may have been typically viewed as a moral issue, now, more than ever, it must be seen as essential piece of the solution to help us - men and women - overcome.