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Recently, I came across this report from Women, Business and the Law which shows a staggering divide between the legal rights of women and the realities they face.

The report highlights a truth we've long known at Grameen Foundation, that we must create new systems that stop requiring women to change but instead change the systems around women so they can bring their power to the world.

I'd like to share a few high-level findings that stood out to me from the 190 economies they investigated.

• 37 economies grant women less than half of the legal rights of men to the detriment of half a billion women.
• Closing the gender gap in employment and entrepreneurship could raise the global gross domestic product by more than 20 percent. Eliminating the gender gap over the next decade would essentially double the current global growth rate.
• 98 economies have enacted legislation mandating equal pay for women for work of equal value. Yet only 35 economies—fewer than one in five—have adopted pay transparency measures or enforcement mechanisms to address the pay gap.
• Globally, only 44 percent of the legal provisions that support the entrepreneurship of
  women are in place.

I was especially alarmed to learn that women have barely a third of the legal protections they need from domestic violence, sexual harassment, child marriage, and femicide. The report shows that while 151 economies have laws in place prohibiting sexual harassment in the workplace, just 39 have laws prohibiting it in public spaces. Further outlined is that 139 economies lack adequate legislation prohibiting child marriage.

While this information is not a surprise to me, I am surprised to see just how entrenched gender norms and biases are within our legal systems. As we seek to end poverty by reframing the role of gender in local and global economies, it's clear that the key to success is by investing in women. And we must invest in all areas of her life from the gendered-expectations in her home life to the exclusive practices of financial and legal institutions.

Reports such as this are hard to digest and they give me the inspiration I need to continue to combat the harm caused by antiquated gender norms. I am also motivated by the vast potential of women to change societies and economies when we simply stop asking them to change but instead see their inherent value and power as something needed to solve the ongoing crises we face as a planet and global community.

You may be familiar with the saying "it takes a village" and indeed, the name Grameen means village. We know that long term and sustainable change requires all of us to participate in shared goals. And I believe that, together, we can build a better future for our global village. A global Grameen rooted in equality and potential - one that no longer relies on outdated norms and laws to dictate what women can or cannot do but instead asks, how can our village thrive because of women?