Give To Gain: The return on investing in financial education for women is high

One of the most powerful, and often overlooked, tools for advancing gender equality is financial literacy.

Financial literacy means understanding how money works: how to earn it, manage it, save it, invest it, and use it to build security and opportunity.

For women and girls worldwide, financial literacy helps close wealth gaps, enjoy career success, start businesses, support their families, and advocate for themselves.

International Women’s Day's Give To Gain campaign theme encourages understanding about the need to give women financial literacy, so they can gain for themselves, their families, their communities, and global economies.
 

Addressing the gender gap in financial literacy

Committed to addressing the gender gap in financial literacy, each year the European Central Bank (ECB) holds an impressive International Women's Day (IWD) event involving insightful speakers and key stakeholders to discuss a range of timely issues and actions.

"The return on investing in financial education for women is high. When we give our knowledge, our time, our tools, even simply our encouragement, others gain the confidence and clarity to take the road ahead...We can give to gain," said European Central Bank (ECB) President, Christine Lagarde.

"Financial literacy is crucial for citizens to successfully navigate the complexities of today's financial landscape. From budgeting and saving to shopping and investing, knowing how money works can empower you to make informed decisions in everyday life," cites ECB's website.

At the event, panel speakers discussed the importance of financial literacy from the perspective of central banks, banking supervision authorities, and European institutions, with a focus on closing the gender gap through harmonised efforts across Europe. The speakers also reflected on the progress made on the five commitments agreed by the ECB and National Central Banks in 2025 to highlight achievements and to call for further coordinated action across the Eurosystem.
 

Sharing opening remarks on financial literacy

Christine Lagarde introduced the event with powerful opening remarks that explored the importance of giving financial literacy for women, how education is critical to close the gap, and what the world stands to gain with this investment. 

"Based on our consumer survey, we can conclude that more than 50% of Europeans do not have a solid financial literacy and understanding of financial markets. And that 50% comprises 60% of women. They are the ones who struggle with financial literacy. And they are also the ones who are poorly play placed to cope when financial shocks suddenly arrive and who find it harder to invest not just in the early days, not just through midlife, but also when they're retired. So this is a gap that needs to be closed if only for them. But it's not just for them. It's also for the global economy," explained Christine. 

"Education is critically important. Now why is that? Because it is a fact that women, despite having an average lower level of financial literacy, respond particularly well to financial education and training. The eagerness to learn is there. It can and it must be developed. Research tells us that confidence or rather the lack of confidence accounts for up to one third of the gender gap in financial literacy. This is to a significant degree a gap in self-esteem and self-belief, and that is precisely the kind of barriers that good education can help with," continued Christine. 

The ECB and National Central Banks agreed to deliver on the following five commitments:

• 1st Commitment: Be a voice for change and keep raising awareness in the respective countries, institutions and communities.
• 2nd Commitment: Create a central bank financial literacy network focusing on promoting financial literacy, addressing the gender gap and sharing best practices and resources for collective action.
• 3rd Commitment: Include national competent authorities in the network, leveraging their consumer protection function.
• 4th Commitment: Develop a comprehensive and harmonised dataset across Europe, extend data collection to countries that lack these data and create standardised measures for financial literacy.
• 5th Commitment: Enhance financial literacy efforts in three key teachable moments of a person’s life: (i) early education, (ii) taking out a major loan (e.g. buying a house or starting a business), and (iii) building a pension.

Christine Lagarde tenaciously serves as a trailblazer for gender equality

Christine Lagarde has been President of the ECB and, in this function, also Chair of the European Systemic Risk Board since November 2019. Between 2011 and 2019, she served as Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund. Prior to that, she served as French Minister of Economy and Finance from 2007 to 2011, having been Trade Secretary from 2005 to 2007. A lawyer by background, she practised for 20 years with international law firm Baker McKenzie, of which she became Global Chair in 1999. Christine was the first woman to hold each of these positions. 

In 2019, 2020, 2022, 2023 and 2024, Christine was ranked the second most influential woman in the world by Forbes. She has also been recognised by TIME as one of the 100 most influential people in the world. She was named Officer in the French Order of the Legion of Honor in April 2012 and Commander in the National Order of Merit in May 2021.

The impact and achievements of Christine Lagarde can not be under-estimated. Her commitment and devotion to women's advancement are outstanding