Melinda French Gates says she’s donating $1bn in support of women, families
Al Jazeera
Philanthropist says it is ‘frustrating’ that some believe it is not the right time to discus gender equality.
Melinda French Gates has announced that she will donate $1bn over the next two years to people and organisations working on behalf of women and families, including on reproductive rights.
In an op-ed published in the New York Times on Tuesday, French Gates said she felt “compelled” to support abortion rights in the United States after the US Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v Wade.
“For too long, a lack of money has forced organisations fighting for women’s rights into a defensive posture while the enemies of progress play offence. I want to help even the match,” French Gates wrote.
French Gates said the US continues to have “unconscionable” rates of maternal mortality, particular among Black and Native American women, while the number of teenage girls experiencing suicidal thoughts and persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness is at a decade-high.
“Despite the pressing need, only about 2 percent of charitable giving in the United States goes to organisations focused on women and girls, and only about half a percentage point goes to organisations focused on women of colour specifically,” she wrote.
