We envision an equitable economy and society where all women have economic security, self-determination and power, and are thriving.

Closing the Women’s Wealth Gap (CWWG) is a multi-racial/ethnic network of non-profit, philanthropic, public and private sector leaders working to transform public policies and systems to advance gender economic equity and close the gender wealth gap. We galvanize economic policy solutions that center the dignity and economic security of women of color so that everyone benefits.

• Dignity – We believe in the inherent worthiness of all people.
• Economic Equity – We center women of color—including LGBTQ, gender nonconforming, and all people who identify as women—in our strategies to drive equitable outcomes, and we believe that centering women of color who are most economically marginalized benefits everyone.
• Systemic change – We focus on transforming public policies and systems in order to generate gender economic equity.
• Collaboration – We uplift the unique strengths of our partners and work together to take action toward shared goals, we are more powerful together.
• Solidarity – We recognize that gender inequality exists in a larger framework of white supremacy, anti-Blackness, and patriarchy, and that until we dismantle those structures, we will all suffer.

Public policy structures and institutional practices consistently ignore, dismiss and devalue women, as evidenced by:

• employment discrimination, occupational segregation, low wages and unequal pay;
• limited access to health insurance and retirement benefits;
• a fractured care infrastructure and lack of access to caregiving supports such as paid leave and childcare;
• denial of access to credit and loans; and
• discrimination in housing and education.

These structural barriers are especially daunting for women of color, who face a legacy of financial exclusion and economic fragility undergirded by intersecting racial and gender wealth gaps.

To create an equitable economy where all women are thriving, we must:

• Enact federal policies designed to benefit women of color who are most marginalized by structural and systemic racism.
• Ensure equitable access to tax subsidies and other public incentives designed to help people save and invest.
• End public policies and discriminatory practices at financial institutions that make it harder for women of color to access credit, buy a home, or start and grow a business.
• Improve employer practices and wages across sectors; recruit and promote women of color in higher-paying sectors and positions; eliminate workplace discrimination that prevents them from advancing; and provide them with fair wages, pay equity, health insurance, retirement benefits and caregiving support such as paid family and medical leave and child care benefits.
• Create new financial products and services designed to help women of color build business capital, save for retirement and invest to grow their money.