The Women & Girls Index 2020: Measuring Giving to Women’s and Girls’ Causes

Abstract

From increased attention on incidents of sexual harassment and assault, to calls for equal pay and representation in leadership roles, to policies affecting reproductive rights, women’s and girls’ causes continue to capture society’s interest. Issues of inequality, including gender disparities, have been further magnified by the public health and economic crises brought on by COVID-19, as well as increasingly urgent calls for racial justice following the killing of George Floyd and other Black Americans at the hand of law enforcement. Yet, the Women & Girls Index (WGI), first introduced by the Women’s Philanthropy Institute (WPI) in 2019, revealed that philanthropic support for organizations dedicated to women and girls does not appear to be keeping pace with society’s interest in these issues.