French Gates promised to concentrate on women and families when she revealed earlier this month that she would be leaving the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
French Gates, one of the biggest philanthropic supporters of gender equity in the U.S., said that she’s been frustrated over the years by people who say it’s not the right time to talk about gender equality.
“Decades of research on economics, well-being and governance make it clear that investing in women and girls benefits everyone,” she wrote
Speaking about the high rates of maternal death in the United States, French Gates pointed out that mothers who identify as Black or Native American are particularly vulnerable.
“Women in 14 states have lost the right to terminate a pregnancy under almost any circumstances. We remain the only advanced economy without any form of national paid family leave. And the number of teenage girls experiencing suicidal thoughts and persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness is at a decade high,” she said.
According to French Gates, she has been giving new donations through Pivotal Ventures, her foundation, to American organizations that defend women’s rights and increase their influence and strength during the past few weeks. The Center for Reproductive Rights, the National Domestic Workers Alliance, and the National Women’s Law Center are among the organizations. The Ms. Foundation for Women’s president and CEO, Teresa Younger, who also got a grant, has long urged funders to provide groups with unlimited, multi-year support. She hailed French Gates’ recent pledge as a continuation of a greater pattern in which powerful women give liberally to charitable organizations.
“If philanthropy took lessons from the way that women are moving money, we would see more money in the field having greater impact,” Younger said.
Author: Rohit Singh
Rohit Singh is passionate individual currently pursuing a degree in Journalism and Mass communication , driven by a desire to do something in the media industry . Driven by a desire to revolutionize media, I aspire to lead by example and instigate a shift towards more responsible and impactful journalism. I love to learn new things and try to adapt them
