17 Economies, 1 Mission: Accelerating Economic Gender Parity by 2030

In a time of economic volatility and transforming global political landscapes, advancing gender equality remains key to building more resilient and inclusive economies. As the 2024 Global Gender Gap Report highlighted, gender gaps persist across multiple economic dimensions, from labour force participation to pay and leadership in the public and private sectors.

At the current rate, it will take 134 years – approximately five generations – to close the global gender gap across education, health, economic participation and political empowerment. Parity in economic participation and opportunity is projected to take even longer – 152 years – underscoring the urgent need for action.

The World Economic Forum’s Gender Parity Accelerators have tackled these challenges in 17 economies, including Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Guatemala, Honduras, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Mexico and Panama. In Latin America, the accelerators are run in collaboration with the InterAmerican Development Bank and Agence Française de Développement (AFD).

Through targeted action plans, these accelerators have supported over 1 million women in accessing economic opportunities and have mobilised over $24 million in resources to address systemic barriers to gender parity. During 2024, action plans were launched in Ecuador, Honduras and Guatemala.

These efforts are part of the Global Gender Parity Sprint 2030, hosted by the Forum’s Centre for the New Economy and Society. This global platform brings together businesses, governments and international organizations to accelerate gender parity as a basis for economic resilience and innovation.

The Sprint is engaging with three key global transformation processes, in care, in tech, and in the green transition, to identify pathways for labour markets, and industries to ensure a level playing field.

As part of this effort, accelerators operate on an 18-month timeline, enabling governments, private sectors and 50-100 of the largest national employers in the participating countries to redefine workforce strategies, embed gender parity principles in their operations and promote inclusion through technology.

The Gender Parity Accelerators are championing innovative programmes tailored to each country’s context.

In Ecuador, the accelerator action plan launched in July 2024 is supporting the implementation of the Violet Economy Law, a gender parity framework engaging over 150 businesses and industry associations to promote workplace inclusion and pay equity.

In addition, accelerator collaborations with private sector companies have allowed for the development of tools to monitor gender pay gaps and rollout of financial and entrepreneurship training to women-owned businesses. The accelerator has also supported Ecuador in its efforts to implement the actions of its first gender-balanced cabinet.

Honduras launched its accelerator in July 2024. A public dashboard developed by the initiative now consolidates information on services available to women entrepreneurs, improving access to resources. In addition, accelerator training programmes supported by Banco de América Central (BAC) and CARE International have equipped multiple cohorts of women with financial literacy skills. Meanwhile, the female leadership programme is set to graduate its inaugural class in 2025, fostering future women leaders.

Through the Wexport programme Jordan’s accelerator has supported 439 female-owned companies to become export ready and tap into international markets.

Ecuador’s accelerator has engaged over 150 private sector companies, including DHL, Nestlé, Unilever, Holcim, Banco Pichincha and Banco Guayaquil, to adopt inclusive hiring practices and pay equity measures. Through such national efforts, women’s participation in small businesses has risen by 33%, and in large corporations, by 23%.

In Guatemala, the accelerator has been instrumental in fostering partnerships with private companies and public institutions, leading to the systematic reporting of investments in gender equality. A key deliverable achieved this year is the launch of the Action Plan for more inclusive Employment and Entrepreneurship Participation (IPEG).

Developed with national business associations, IPEG enhances financial inclusion for women entrepreneurs, particularly indigenous women. The accelerator focuses its efforts on women, recognizing their pivotal role in economic sustainability and local development, as evidenced by the fact that Guatemalan women reinvest an impressive 90% of their income into their families and communities.

Through public policies accelerators are also helping to create more caring societies and safer workplaces. In Colombia, research by the accelerator on the cost and benefits of expanding paternity leave led to the government introducing a two-week paternity leave allowance, one of the highest in the region.

As part of its action plan, Costa Rica introduced a national care policy that significantly expands its care system to cover pre-school children, the elderly and people with disabilities so parents and caregivers can better balance career and care responsibilities. The Accelerator also supported the piloting of a new care co-payment model where companies, families and the government share the cost of childcare.

In Jordan the Accelerator has helped advance anti-sexual harassment legislation, ensuring private sector companies include such policies in their bylaws and enhance victim protection through improved reporting mechanisms.

The thought leadership of the Forum’s Global Future Council on the Care Economy has informed accelerator efforts by highlighting crucial areas of focus to strengthen and resource care systems.

In 2024, the council released a white paper highlighting the principles, practices, and collaboration models that contribute to more comprehensive and accessible care systems. The white paper also showcases examples of innovative models and practices for policy solutions, care infrastructure, knowledge and information systems, technological innovations, and attitude-shifting initiatives that work for care.

The accelerators offer critical insights for scaling gender equality globally. In Latin America, the Forum collaborated with the Inter-American Development Bank to publish a Guide to Promote Gender Equality in Companies, providing actionable strategies for fostering inclusive workplaces.

The Forum’s 2025 DEI Lighthouse report showcases impactful case studies from accelerator countries, such as Bank al-Etihad in Jordan, which is advancing financial inclusion for women through comprehensive programmes.

The Gender Parity Accelerators invite governments and businesses to join their mission of advancing gender equality. Organizations can contribute by collaborating with existing accelerators or establishing new ones; expanding the global network working to close gender gaps by 2030.

For more details, contact us to explore opportunities for collaboration.