Sustainable finance
Gender Lens Investing
The deliberate integration of gender analysis into investment decisions to achieve better social and financial outcomes — investing in women-led businesses, gender-diverse companies, and products serving women.
Definition
Gender lens investing is the intentional integration of gender analysis into financial analysis to make better investment decisions and to achieve gender-equitable social change that benefits women and girls. It cuts across asset classes rather than being one, and typically targets women-owned or women-led enterprises, companies with strong gender diversity and equity practices, and products or services that improve women's lives.
References
definition
formal definition and scope
Overview
What it means
GLI treats gender as investment-relevant information: diversity in leadership, pay equity, workplace safety, and the gendered impact of products all affect risk, performance, and impact. Strategies range from public-equity funds screening for women in leadership to private debt for women entrepreneurs and gender bonds in fixed income.
How it is used
Asset managers offer GLI funds and indexes; development finance institutions apply gender criteria through initiatives such as 2X Global; and investors report gender metrics alongside ESG data, aligned with SDG 5.
Why it matters
Capital allocation shapes who gets to build businesses and hold power; GLI makes the gendered patterns of that allocation visible and investable.
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