Christine Lagarde Quotes

There is no development strategy more beneficial to society as a whole - women and men alike - than the one which involves women as central players.

Some companies are already investing in women and thereby betting on a brighter future - for a workforce just waiting to blossom, for emerging economies whose development depends on this new talent, and, of course, for their own financial growth.

One of the factors a country's economy depends on is human capital. If you don't provide women with adequate access to healthcare, education and employment, you lose at least half of your potential. So, gender equality and women's empowerment bring huge economic benefits.

Instead of marginalizing women, Congress must get to work on policies that can foster job creation and fuel economic growth.

There is certainly a growing body of data that correlates investments in women with a country's general prosperity; a recognition that no country can get ahead if half its people are left behind.

Investing in women and girls may once have been considered a radical notion or even a waste of resources, but in most places in the world today, women and girls are increasingly recognized as a critical link to greater prosperity, political stability, better health and public policy.

There is simply no way our nation can progress if its women population is left behind.

It makes perfect economic sense to integrate women in the economy in the developing world in order to catch up with advanced countries, thereby minimising socioeconomic costs as well.

I opened about a dozen employment centers for Arab women across Israel during my two years as minister of economy.

Having more women in leadership helps our economy grow strong and our communities become even more vibrant.

Empowering women isn’t just the right thing to do - it’s the smart thing to do.

Nations are more successful when their women are successful.

It's a proven fact that when you raise the status of girls and women in a country, that country does much better economically.

A democracy depends on the full integration of women into society, especially on seeing to it that they have equal access to the same tools of opportunity as men.

When the history of African development is written, it will be clear that a turning point involved the empowerment of women.

I believe that the best measure of whether a nation is going to be successful is whether they are tapping the talents of their women.

Goldman Sachs believes that economically empowering women globally is one of the best investments to grow economies, create jobs, and build more prosperous societies.

So much research has been done showing that the woman is the most vulnerable but also the biggest strength leading to economic progress.

The 2010 global gender gap report by the World Economic Forum shows that countries with better gender equality have faster-growing, more competitive economies.

More countries have understood that women's equality is a prerequisite for development.

When both women and men contribute to a country's economic life on an equal basis, they help building stronger societies and stronger economies.

Countries with higher levels of gender equality have higher economic growth. Companies with more women on their boards have higher returns. Peace agreements that include women are more successful. Parliaments with more women take up a wider range of issues - including health, education, anti-discrimination, and child support.

When more women join the labor force and, particularly, become entrepreneurs, GDP rises dramatically in those countries - in both developed and developing economies.

I call for greater measures to involve more women at higher levels in mine action. Governments should do more to address gender in their mine action programmes and through their implementation of the Anti-personnel Mine Ban Convention.

In Tunisia, where women have long enjoyed greater rights than many of their Arab neighbors, women pushed for and won a new electoral code that guarantees women will make up half of a candidates' list for office.