Hispanics in Philanthropy Statement on International Women’s Day

WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 8, 2018) – Today HIP’s President Ana Marie Argilagos released the following statement in honor of International Women’s Day:

The contributions that women and girls make every day build economies, strengthen communities, and uplift families. Extraordinary accomplishments across the world in all areas of human endeavors – including science, business, education, sports, art, agriculture, parenting, youth development, and governance – are led by women. And yet, too often women still struggle against an imposed status of second-class citizens. As a result, their autonomy and control over their bodies and futures are limited from the time they are born. Some girls are forced to marry and have children when they are still children themselves. And too many women (1 in 3 worldwide) experience sexual violence in their lifetimes.

The fact remains: while we continue to #PressForProgress, too many women continue to face abusive practices such as intimate partner abuse and sexual violence in their homes and communities, while gender-based discrimination persists in workplaces across the globe.

Our world needs a complete cultural mind shift if it is to eradicate discrimination and violence against women and girls. That mind shift starts right here, in the world of philanthropy. Philanthropy has played an important role in the fight for gender equality, yet we still have work to do. As the #MeToo movement takes the U.S. by storm, those of us in philanthropy must ask ourselves some important questions: Didn’t we already know that these types of abuses against women were taking place? If we didn’t, how did we not? If we did, why haven’t we made more progress? Which women are we leaving out, and how can philanthropy step in?

Those of us that make data-driven funding decisions are clear that indicators point to gender-based inequities in every facet of life: wages, access to capital, political representation, and leadership opportunities, to name a few. However, we are also at an important crossroads in our development as a nation. In philanthropy, we have a moment in time like no other before: a moment to ensure that the next generation of young women are provided equal access to opportunity. To accomplish that goal, our investments must reflect that we believe in the potential of women and girls as leaders. After all, the future is female.

To learn more about Hispanics in Philanthropy’s work on gender equity, please join our Women’s History Month Twitter Chat on March 15th at 1 PM EST led by HIP’s own Dana Preston. Follow @BeHIPGive on twitter for more information.

**Time is Running Out! Register now for HIP’s 35th Anniversary Conference in San Francisco, on April 5-6, 2018**