These days, there’s an app for everything, including your financial information. But what if you didn’t have access to receive and manage your own money? How would this limit how you live, thrive, or even survive? For many people - especially women - digital tools help unlock their power and agency over their own lives, and are the catalysts for change for growing economies.  

This episode features Jen Hatmaker, an American author, speaker, blogger, and television presenter, in conversation with Deon Woods, a Senior Program Officer focusing on Financial Services for the Poor at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Deon shares how access to digital money (like venmo or paypal) and control over financial accounts are the most important predictors of a woman’s economic empowerment. This allows for professional opportunity and economic participation which means they can enhance the prosperity of their families, their communities, and the entire country and global economy. By increasing the financial autonomy, decision-making power, and personal freedom of women, we improve gender equality and our overall societies and economies as well. This equips us to better handle big challenges including global health challenges like COVID.

Make Me Care About is produced by Magnificent Noise in partnership with The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

To learn more about our show: https://www.gatesfoundation.org/podcast/make-me-care-about

For more on The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s work: https://www.gatesfoundation.org

To learn more about digital money:

Womens Economic Empowerment Global Framework: https://www.gatesfoundation.org/equal-is-greater/

Financial Services for the Poor: https://www.gatesfoundation.org/our-work/programs/global-growth-and-opportunity/financial-services-for-the-poor

Global Findex 2021: How digital wages empower Bangladeshi women: https://www.gatesfoundation.org/ideas/articles/2021-findex-report-financial-inclusion-benefits-bangladeshi-women

Statement from Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman: Why we need digital infrastructure: https://www.gatesfoundation.org/ideas/media-center/press-releases/2022/12/digital-public-infrastructure

For more on the work of our guest, Deon Woods: https://dial.global/profile/deonwoodsbell/

Learn more about our host, Jen Hatmaker: https://jenhatmaker.com

Our production staff includes Sabrina Farhi, Hiwote Getaneh, Julia Natt, and our sound designer Kristin Mueller. Our Executive Producer is Eric Nuzum and the host is Jen Hatmaker.

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