Author(s): John Kraft, Arthur Kraft
Women were the world's most underutilized resource; getting more of them into the workplace was part of the solution to many economic woes, including shrinking populations, declining productivity and poverty. The increase in female employment in the rich world was the main driving force of growth in the past couple of decades. Those women contributed more to global GDP growth than either new technology or the country giants, China, and India. To continue to grow countries needed to focus on the best resource available: women. To do so required removing cultural, social, regulatory, and economic barriers that prevented women from reaching their full potential. The continued globalization of production and markets depended on these remedies. Removing barriers to entrepreneurship and the participation of women were the key to growth or a missed opportunity.