1 00:00:02,480 --> 00:00:15,240 Speaker 1: Bloomberg Audio Studios, Podcasts, radio News. Well, this is International 2 00:00:15,240 --> 00:00:18,440 Speaker 1: Women's Day comes at a tense time on the global stage. Now. 3 00:00:18,480 --> 00:00:20,520 Speaker 1: I recently got the chance to sit down with Kursey 4 00:00:20,600 --> 00:00:23,840 Speaker 1: Maddie you Want, Assistant Secretary General and You and Women, 5 00:00:24,200 --> 00:00:29,480 Speaker 1: Deputy Executive Director for Resource Management, Sustainability and Partnerships, asking 6 00:00:29,480 --> 00:00:33,080 Speaker 1: her about the UN's latest report, Ensuring and Strengthening asks 7 00:00:33,280 --> 00:00:36,319 Speaker 1: Access to Justice for All Women and Girls. Here's part 8 00:00:36,360 --> 00:00:37,080 Speaker 1: of that conversation. 9 00:00:39,680 --> 00:00:44,160 Speaker 2: The most challenging situation, the most difficult place for women 10 00:00:44,560 --> 00:00:47,680 Speaker 2: to live today is in Afghanistan, There's no question about that. 11 00:00:48,479 --> 00:00:50,720 Speaker 2: But I think we need to always be looking at 12 00:00:50,760 --> 00:00:54,400 Speaker 2: the opportunities focus still trying to make progress, and I 13 00:00:54,400 --> 00:00:56,840 Speaker 2: think there's a lot of progress that is being made. 14 00:00:57,560 --> 00:01:01,040 Speaker 2: And I think this is why also looking at women's 15 00:01:01,160 --> 00:01:06,160 Speaker 2: economic empowerment is absolutely critically important. And it's important to 16 00:01:06,240 --> 00:01:09,640 Speaker 2: remember that gender equality is not just it is a 17 00:01:09,720 --> 00:01:12,760 Speaker 2: human right, but it's not only a human right. It's 18 00:01:12,800 --> 00:01:16,199 Speaker 2: not only the right thing to do. It's also smart business. 19 00:01:16,520 --> 00:01:19,160 Speaker 2: And I think we are very very clearly seeing that 20 00:01:19,240 --> 00:01:22,560 Speaker 2: when we have, for example, companies and businesses which are 21 00:01:22,640 --> 00:01:26,319 Speaker 2: investing in gender equality, equal opportunities for well, men and women, 22 00:01:26,760 --> 00:01:30,200 Speaker 2: they have stronger governors. They also have strong and longer 23 00:01:30,280 --> 00:01:33,679 Speaker 2: term economic performance. So we have a lot of good 24 00:01:33,800 --> 00:01:37,120 Speaker 2: arguments also from the economic side to make sure that 25 00:01:37,240 --> 00:01:41,000 Speaker 2: companies and businesses and the public sector are investing in 26 00:01:41,080 --> 00:01:41,880 Speaker 2: gender equality. 27 00:01:42,160 --> 00:01:45,080 Speaker 1: Well, how does the cost of childcare, for example, factor 28 00:01:45,120 --> 00:01:48,120 Speaker 1: into that, because you know, for better or worse, women 29 00:01:48,720 --> 00:01:51,680 Speaker 1: often fall into the role of being the default caretaker 30 00:01:51,800 --> 00:01:54,640 Speaker 1: for children. And you know, it's one thing for businesses 31 00:01:54,920 --> 00:01:57,800 Speaker 1: to invest, but if it doesn't make economic sense for 32 00:01:58,040 --> 00:02:00,320 Speaker 1: you know, one of the partners to not stay home 33 00:02:00,360 --> 00:02:03,600 Speaker 1: given the cost of childcare, I wonder you know how 34 00:02:03,640 --> 00:02:05,560 Speaker 1: that sort of devils those efforts. 35 00:02:05,760 --> 00:02:07,920 Speaker 2: That's a really important point. I'm so happy that you 36 00:02:08,040 --> 00:02:12,040 Speaker 2: raise that. We actually have a staggering number of over 37 00:02:12,160 --> 00:02:17,200 Speaker 2: seven hundred million women who are working age who are 38 00:02:17,240 --> 00:02:21,760 Speaker 2: out of the labor market because of the uneven care responsibilities, 39 00:02:22,120 --> 00:02:25,480 Speaker 2: and the care responsibilities of course, be childcare bid elderly 40 00:02:25,520 --> 00:02:28,440 Speaker 2: care is extremely important. The economy would come to and 41 00:02:28,520 --> 00:02:31,840 Speaker 2: the society would come to halt without it. But because 42 00:02:31,960 --> 00:02:37,760 Speaker 2: women are carrying this proportionate portion of the care responsibility, 43 00:02:38,040 --> 00:02:41,280 Speaker 2: they often are not able to finish their studies and 44 00:02:41,400 --> 00:02:45,680 Speaker 2: progress in the same way assume leadership positions as fast 45 00:02:45,720 --> 00:02:48,639 Speaker 2: as we would like to see. So in some sense, 46 00:02:49,000 --> 00:02:53,639 Speaker 2: it's actually really a very huge untapped potential that we have, 47 00:02:54,400 --> 00:02:58,400 Speaker 2: and I think there would be a huge benefit globally 48 00:02:58,639 --> 00:03:01,840 Speaker 2: and at the national level in all the different countries 49 00:03:02,240 --> 00:03:06,080 Speaker 2: if we would invest in creating jobs in the care 50 00:03:06,200 --> 00:03:10,440 Speaker 2: sector so that women are also able to get into 51 00:03:10,520 --> 00:03:14,160 Speaker 2: the economic empowerment and get their own jobs. Everybody would 52 00:03:14,200 --> 00:03:15,040 Speaker 2: benefit from that. 53 00:03:15,360 --> 00:03:17,600 Speaker 1: Let's talk about some of the progress that you mentioned, 54 00:03:17,639 --> 00:03:21,280 Speaker 1: because also in the Secretary General's report, the stat also 55 00:03:21,400 --> 00:03:24,480 Speaker 1: stuck out eighty seven percent of countries have an acted 56 00:03:24,520 --> 00:03:28,200 Speaker 1: domestic violence legislation, and more than forty countries have actually 57 00:03:28,200 --> 00:03:33,000 Speaker 1: strengthened constitutional protection for women and girls over the past decade. Now, 58 00:03:33,040 --> 00:03:34,760 Speaker 1: I know the report also goes on to say that 59 00:03:34,880 --> 00:03:37,360 Speaker 1: laws alone are not enough, but in terms of a 60 00:03:37,480 --> 00:03:40,560 Speaker 1: starting point, I mean, how important are some of these figures. 61 00:03:40,640 --> 00:03:43,560 Speaker 2: It's very important because the starting board, we need to 62 00:03:43,600 --> 00:03:46,600 Speaker 2: have the legal changes, legiative changes, we need to have 63 00:03:46,680 --> 00:03:49,760 Speaker 2: the policy changes, but of course then we also need 64 00:03:49,800 --> 00:03:52,760 Speaker 2: to have the accountability to make sure that they are implemented. 65 00:03:53,160 --> 00:03:56,920 Speaker 2: And we've been clearly able to see that countries which 66 00:03:56,960 --> 00:04:01,960 Speaker 2: have introduced legislation, for example, against domestic violence, we have 67 00:04:02,040 --> 00:04:05,640 Speaker 2: seen reduced levels of domestic violence. So it is very 68 00:04:05,640 --> 00:04:08,720 Speaker 2: important to see that these policy measures and legal measures 69 00:04:08,760 --> 00:04:13,000 Speaker 2: really have a real concrete impact in women's lives. And 70 00:04:13,080 --> 00:04:15,080 Speaker 2: if I may just share with you, I think it's 71 00:04:15,120 --> 00:04:19,239 Speaker 2: a shocking fact that we also have every ten minutes 72 00:04:19,320 --> 00:04:22,640 Speaker 2: somewhere in the world, a woman or a young girl 73 00:04:22,960 --> 00:04:26,200 Speaker 2: is killed, either by their family member or by their 74 00:04:26,200 --> 00:04:29,440 Speaker 2: current or former partner. These are shocking figures. These are 75 00:04:29,480 --> 00:04:31,520 Speaker 2: on top of all the women and girls who are 76 00:04:31,600 --> 00:04:36,279 Speaker 2: killed as part of conflicts, so it's really an area 77 00:04:36,279 --> 00:04:38,720 Speaker 2: where we need to also. Similarly, as looking at the 78 00:04:38,760 --> 00:04:41,960 Speaker 2: women's economic empowerment, we really need to have a very 79 00:04:42,000 --> 00:04:45,960 Speaker 2: strong focus ensuring that there is justice for women, that 80 00:04:46,000 --> 00:04:49,840 Speaker 2: women are protected and they are given an opportunity, they 81 00:04:49,880 --> 00:04:52,920 Speaker 2: have an opportunity to live in a safe environment.