In 2015 the nations of the world—with much fanfare—agreed to achieve gender equality by 2030 as one of the U.N.’s “Sustainable Development Goals.” With the approach of the 10-year anniversary of that declaration, it’s obvious to even the UN statisticians that there is no possibility the goal will be realized. Indeed, if you want to be depressed (or, perhaps, angered) Google “gender inequality” and you will learn that the World Economic Forum has run the numbers and decided that “gender parity is 131 years away.”

Nonetheless, there is good news: gender gaps in some countries are being closed faster than ever, especially in Europe and North America. The bad news: there has been much less—if any—progress in most of the Global South, although there are important exceptions in countries like Saudi Arabia, UAE, Singapore, and Chile.

That should be unsurprising to anyone who wanders the world with eyes open, not shut. If so, then it’s probably also not surprising that new approaches are necessary to realize the full human potential of billions of women around the world. That almost certainly means a complete reframing of how to think about the issue as well as about possible solutions.

That is why we invited  Zubaida Bai, CEO of the Grameen Foundation to join us on New Thinking for a New World. She believes that gender equality is not only essential but possible—and that it requires significant systems change to happen.

Please tell us what you think in the comments below

***
Find the New Thinking for a New World podcast on a platform of your choice (Apple podcast, Spotify, Google podcast, Youtube, etc.)

---

ABOUT OUR GUEST

Zubaida Bai is Grameen Foundation’s President and CEO. Beginning her career as a mechanical engineer, Zubaida transitioned into the social impact space after visiting a midwife in rural India.

Bai went on to found ayzh, a social enterprise that designs vital hygiene and reproductive healthcare products to women and girls in resource-poor settings. She was also the managing director of social ventures at CARE International.

In 2022, Bai joined Grameen Foundation as the President and CEO, advancing Grameen’s work to invest in women’s power by reframing the role of gender in the local and global economy, with the goal of ending poverty and hunger in our lifetime.

She holds a master’s degree in Mechanical Engineering and an MBA from Colorado State University. She was also conferred with an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree by Claremont Graduate University in 2018 for her ability to work at the intersection of multiple sectors seamlessly, and to energetically bring her unique insights and fresh perspective to all societal challenges.