UN Women Deputy Executive Director Kirsi Madi Talks Gender Equality

Summary

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Bloomberg Talks – UN Women Deputy Executive Director Kirsi Madi Talks Gender Equality

Date: March 10, 2026
Host: Bloomberg
Guest: Kirsi Madi, UN Assistant Secretary General & UN Women Deputy Executive Director for Resource Management, Sustainability and Partnerships

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Episode Overview

This special International Women's Day episode features a focused conversation with Kirsi Madi of UN Women. The discussion centers around the UN’s latest gender equality report, global progress on women’s rights, ongoing challenges, and the economic importance of empowering women. The conversation spotlights both strides forward and persistent barriers, particularly in contexts like Afghanistan, while advocating for a holistic approach—legal, societal, and economic—to fostering gender equality worldwide.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The World’s Most Challenging Context: Afghanistan

Timestamp: 01:09

• Kirsi Madi opens by naming Afghanistan as the most difficult place for women currently:
  • “The most challenging situation, the most difficult place for women to live today is in Afghanistan. There's no question about that. But I think we need to always be looking at the opportunities focus, still trying to make progress.” (Kirsi Madi, 01:09)

2. Economic Empowerment: More Than a Human Right

Timestamp: 01:30

• Madi stresses the importance of viewing gender equality not just as a moral imperative but as smart economics:
  • "It's not only the right thing to do, it's also smart business... companies and businesses which are investing in gender equality, equal opportunity for men and women, they have stronger governance, they also have stronger longer term economic performance." (Kirsi Madi, 01:33)
• Investing in gender equality boosts governance and economic performance for both private companies and the public sector.

3. The Hidden Cost of Uneven Care Responsibilities

Timestamp: 02:12

• The interviewer raises the childcare dilemma—how it impacts women’s participation in the workforce.
• Madi reveals about 700 million working-age women are out of the labor market due to disproportionate care burdens (childcare, elderly care).
  • "The care responsibility... is extremely important the economy would come to and the society would come to halt without it. But because women are carrying disproportionate portion of the care responsibility, they often are not able to finish their studies and progress in the same way.” (Kirsi Madi, 02:45)
• Highlights women’s care work as “huge untapped potential” for economies, advocating for global investment in care-sector jobs to facilitate women's economic empowerment.

4. Legislative Progress and Ongoing Gaps

Timestamp: 03:45

• Discussion turns to substantial legislative gains from the UN Secretary General's report:
  • “87% of countries have enacted domestic violence legislation and more than 40 countries have actually strengthened constitutional protection for women and girls over the past decade.” (Interviewer, 03:47)
• Madi emphasizes: legislation is the starting point, but real progress demands enforcement and accountability.
  • "Countries which have introduced legislation, for example, against domestic violence, we have seen reduced levels of domestic violence. So it is very important to see that these policy measures and legal measures really have a real concrete impact in women's lives." (Kirsi Madi, 04:12)

5. Stark Realities: Violence Against Women

Timestamp: 04:30

• Madi shares a shocking statistic:
  • "Every 10 minutes, somewhere in the world a woman or a young girl is killed either by their family member or by their current or former partner.” (Kirsi Madi, 04:32)
• Underlines the urgency for justice, safety, and genuine opportunity for women globally—beyond just legislative frameworks.

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Notable Quotes

• On Afghanistan:
  "The most challenging situation, the most difficult place for women to live today is in Afghanistan. There's no question about that."
  (Kirsi Madi, 01:09)

• On Untapped Potential:
  "We actually have a staggering number of over 700 million women who are working age who are out of the labor market because of the uneven care responsibilities... it's actually really a very huge untapped potential that we have."
  (Kirsi Madi, 02:35)

• On Violence:
  "Every 10 minutes, somewhere in the world a woman or a young girl is killed either by their family member or by their current or former partner."
  (Kirsi Madi, 04:32)

• On Economic Argument:
  “It's not only the right thing to do, it's also smart business... they have stronger governance, they also have stronger longer term economic performance.”
  (Kirsi Madi, 01:33)

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Timestamps for Important Segments

• 01:09 – Afghanistan: Toughest Place for Women's Rights
• 01:30 – Economic Value of Gender Equality
• 02:12 – The Cost of Care and Labor Market Exclusion
• 03:45 – Legislative Wins: Domestic Violence Laws & Legal Protection
• 04:30 – Shocking Data on Gender-Based Violence

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Memorable Moments

• Madi’s framing of care work as both critical and undervalued, urging countries to see the economic upside in addressing it.
• The staggering figure of 700 million sidelined working-age women due to care roles.
• The reminder that legal reforms, while crucial, fall short without enforcement and accompanying social change.
• The chilling revelation about the rate of fatal violence against women worldwide, reframing the conversation as one of urgent global justice and security.

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Summary:
This episode offers a clear-eyed look at the dual progress and setbacks facing gender equality worldwide. Kirsi Madi drives home the need to see gender equality as both a basic right and a practical, economic advantage. She underscores the burden of unpaid care work and its impact on women’s full economic participation, the necessity of legislative progress, and the dire numbers around gender-based violence. The conversation is at once hopeful and urgent, outlining both the opportunities and the work that remains.

Transcript

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[Interviewer]

Well, this International Women's Day comes at a tense time on the global stage. Now, I recently got the chance to sit down with Kirsty Maddie, UN Assistant Secretary General and UN Women Deputy Executive Director for Resource Management, Sustainability and Partnerships, asking her about the UN's latest report, ensuring and Strengthening to Justice for All Women and Girls. Here's part of that conversation.

[Kirsty Maddie]

The most challenging situation, the most difficult place for women to live today is in Afghanistan. There's no question about that. But I think we need to always be looking at the opportunities focus, still trying to make progress. And I think there's a lot of progress that is being made. And I think this is why. Also, looking at women's economic empowerment is absolutely critically important. And it's important to remember that gender equality is not just it is a human right, but it's not only a human right. It's not only the right thing to do, it's also smart business. And I think we are very, very clearly seeing that when we have, for example, companies and businesses which are investing in gender equality, equal opportunity for men and women, they have stronger governance, they also have stronger longer term economic performance. So we have lots of good arguments also from the economic side to make sure that companies and businesses and the public sector are investing in gender equality.

[Interviewer]

Well, how does the cost of childcare, for example, factor into that? Because, you know, for better or worse, women often fall into the role of being the default caretaker for children. And you know, it's one thing for businesses to invest, but if it doesn't make economic sense for, you know, one of the partners to not stay home given the cost of childcare, I wonder, you know, how that sort of bedevils those efforts.

[Kirsty Maddie]

That's a really important point. I'm so happy that you raised that. We actually have a staggering number of over 700 million women who are working age who are out of the labor market because of the uneven care responsibilities. And the care responsibility is of course, be childcare, be it elderly care is extremely important the economy would come to and the society would come to halt without it. But because women are carrying disproportionate portion of the care responsibility, they often are not able to finish their studies and progress in the same way assume leadership positions as fast as we would like to see. So in some sense, it's actually really a very huge untapped potential that we have. And I think there would be a huge benefit globally and at the national level in all the different countries if we would invest in creating jobs in the care sector so that women are also able to get into the economic empowerment and get their own jobs. Everybody would benefit from that.

[Interviewer]

Let's talk about some of the progress that you mentioned because also in the Secretary General's report, this stat also stuck out. 87% of countries have enacted domestic violence legislation and more than 40 countries have actually strengthened constitutional protection for women and girls over the past decade. Now, I know the report also goes on to say that laws alone are not enough. But in terms of a starting point, I mean, how important are some of these figures?

[Kirsty Maddie]

It's very important because the starting point we need to have the legal changes, legislative changes, we need to have the policy changes. But of course then we also need to have the accountability to make sure that they are implemented. And we've been clearly able to see that countries which have introduced legislation, legislation, for example, against domestic violence, we have seen reduced levels of domestic violence. So it is very important to see that these policy measures and legal measures really have a real concrete impact in women's lives. And if I may just share with you, I think it's a shocking fact that we also have every 10 minutes, somewhere in the world a woman or a young girl is killed either by their family member or by their current or former partner. These are shocking figures. These are on top of older women and girls who are killed in as part of conflicts. So it's really an area where we need to also similarly, as looking at the women's economic empowerment, we really need to have a very strong focus ensuring that there is justice for women, that women are protected and they are given an opportunity. They have an opportunity to live in a safe environment.

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