Women and Investment The Role of Fiscal Policy

From a macroeconomic perspective, investment is the backbone of economic growth. The more investment, particularly in productive activities, the more the economy expands and provides employment that supports future growth. Fiscal policies that support investment to stimulate economic growth need to be gendered in order to improve overall macroeconomic results. Investment by women-owned firms is likely to grow as policies enable women to enter more easily into core industries such as manufacturing, construction, and high tech, create work-life balance infrastructures, and, increase discussion of money and debt among women to limit social barriers. Improving access to bank credit and government finance is key to increasing investment by women-owned firms, and, as a result, it is central to the continued expansion of the macroeconomy.