Women’s Economic Empowerment - #3BLchat Recap

“The biggest gender gap is in women’s political leadership” said Melanne Verveer, and there are few people who know more about the challenges women face around the globe.

Melanne, along with Katy Knox, SVP at Bank of America, and 3BL Media’s very own Cindy Schneider were our special guests to share insight and answer the #3BLchat audience questions. In addition to these prestigious role models and thought leaders it was a privilege to be joined by numerous esteemed topic experts, bombarding the #3BLchat feed with learning, inspiration and passion. It was no mean task to collate all the highlights and the resources shared in a mere 60 minutes. Below you will find an amazingly rich list of knowledge and contacts in one easy to find place.

“Joy Eze ‘when you empower a woman, you are empowering a community & ultimately a nation.’ #VVLEAD #Nigeria #3blchat” (by @julie_muriuki) - https://twitter.com/julie_muriuki/status/504716588814454784

Throughout the challengingly rapid stream of expertise complementing our main guest conversation, we were taken on a journey through statistics, evidence and real world examples incredible to believe in any modern society. This was provided by leaders from both global NGOs and the corporate world including Vital Voices, Global Water, UN Women, Knowledge Gateway, Dell, Women’s World Banking, Aramark, MGM Resorts, Time Warner Cable and many others.

“In business, female entrepreneurs face barriers in accessing capital, and we see fewer women on boards & in senior management #3BLchat” - (by @melanneverveer) https://twitter.com/MelanneVerveer/status/504717475465162752

The focus was firmly on the inequality women face and specifically how mentoring, networking and entrepreneurship can change lives, communities and cultures one woman or girl at a time. Whilst some of the evidence of inequality was abruptly shocking at times it was counter balanced by the energy, depth and positivity of the activity already being undertaken by so many to address this shameful imbalance.

“Staggering statistics on female labor force stuck in informal economy: Benin-97%, Chad-95%, & Guinea-85% #3BLchat” (by @womenforwater) - https://twitter.com/womenforwater/status/504719176658079744

With women representing 70% of the world’s 1.3 billion poor, it’s easy to see the scale of both the issue and the opportunity for progress. Bank of America in particular gave us a brief glimpse into the scale of the impact they’re leveraging through collaboration and support including their Global Ambassadors programme and provision of affordable finance to women entrepreneurs.

“There is a critical need to help women access capital in order to build their businesses — both globally and domestically ^kk #3BLchat” – (by @BofA_News) - https://twitter.com/BofA_News/status/504725764235722754

It was an honour and a privilege to host Melanne, Katy and Cindy and all the other amazing audience members on our most memorable chat yet. Please take the time to read through the links below, connect with the chat participants and help accelerate the empowerment of women wherever you see inequality.

Resources shared and by whom

By @MelanneVerveer

• Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security website

By @BofA_News

• We’re connecting women to human, social & financial capital.
• Bank of America Empowering Women Leaders

By @CJ_Schneider1

• New Commercial Exposes The Sneaky Ways We Discourage Girls From Pursuing Science

By @VitalVoices

• VV Lead Fellowship Programme
• VV Grow > Businesswomen’s Networks
• The Global Ambassadors Program sparks lifelong mentorship from Mexico City, to New York, to Granada
• Stories of world changing women
• On Mentoring | Alyse Nelson

By @mayababla

• Illustrating the power of mentorship: @Cataescobarr of Columbia
• From One Leader to Another: The Power of Mentorship in the Business World
• Bridging the Gap: Mentorship, Innovation, and Building a Better Future
• One of the wmn #leaders I so admire is @SamarMinallahKh of #Pakistan. Taking on #childmarriage thru #media

By @DellBizWomen

• Empowering Women in Technology and Business
• 30-country analysis of the conditions that foster high-potential female entrepreneurship
• Men Advocating Real Change (MARC) website
• Forget the Glass Ceiling: Build Your Business Without One

By @ECHersh

• Internet functions as gateway to ideas, resources & opps. But women left behind. Read great @intel report
• Women’s leadership as a force for change
• Celebrating Girls and ICT: The Great Equalizer in Global Development
• VV Lead Fellowship

By @global_water

• Facts on women at work by ILO
• Coke’s Muhtar Kent Explores Link Between Empowered Women and Stronger Communities
• @CocaColaCo's RAIN will empower up to 250K women & youth by 2020

By @WEConnection

• Women business owners need help connecting to markets and the vast, global supply chains
• Advancing Women-Owned Businesses In New Markets

By @NWBC

• New Research Shows that Women-Owned Firms Exceed Growth Expectations, but Still Lack Access to Capital

By @MaryRucci1

• Aramark CSR website

By @Ventureneer

• We know the prob > Funding #womenentrepreneurs: If not now, when?

By @Miriam_Tweets_

• 2013 #VVGROW fellow, @JillianUsagi gives her perspective on #Mentoring

By @3BLMedia

• Engendering Growth: Cultivating the Ecosystem of support for women business owners

By @Empower_Women

• Knowledge Gateway for Women’s Economic Empowerment

By @Toolbx

• Digital Connections Empower Women to Change Their Futures

By @julie_muriuki

• @HemsVallabh blog on #mentoring young #African women engineers

By @LauraIsidean

• Sponsors Seen as Crucial for Women’s Career Advancement

By @Ampleen

• Some workplaces find new ways to make the office family friendly

For all the questions and answers, plus further highlights check out our Storify version for this chat available via this link.

Don’t forget to follow @3BLMedia, and make sure you keep a #3BLchat search open to make sure you stay connected to the most inspirational and productive sustainability / CSR themed Twitter chat there is!