Lack of employment of women costs world $12 trillion

When people say gender equality is a must for development, they are not just speaking empty words. Research indicates that if women participate in working life equally with men, $12 trillion more will be added to the global economy. 

The unpaid jobs that women do, the unseen production of women, the value of the free labor, and the loss to the economy amounts to $12 trillion: Almost 13 percent of the global GDP. 

According to the survey named "The Impact of Women in the Workforce" conducted by Skillsoft in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia Pacific and Asia, even though women may be offered equal opportunities in training, women workers are facing more barriers and advancing more slowly than their male counterparts.

Prejudices, as you all know, peak when it comes to women's roles and skills. Top managements do not feel the responsibility to contribute to the advancement of women in working life. 

Most respondents to the survey said the balance between work and private life was the biggest issue that working women have to tackle. While men are not obliged to choose between family/home and career, it is exactly the opposite for women. 

For this reason, women do not have the means to be able to focus on work as much as men. Childcare, elderly care, cooking, cleaning… Overall, some 75 percent of unpaid jobs in the world are done by women, according to a 2015 report by McKinsey Global Institute. 

According to 92 percent of respondents, there is a lack of women in leadership. This perception conforms to current statistics. Women make up just 5 percent of CEOs in Fortune 500 companies and 17 percent of corporate board members among Fortune 500 companies. Some 71 percent of respondents think there is not...