United Nations Women Australia's theme for International Women's Day, which is celebrated on 8 March, is Women's Economic Empowerment. Across the globe, 70 per cent of the world's poor are women; women earn less than 10 per cent of the world's wages – but women do more than two thirds of the world's work.

On average women reinvest 90 per cent of their income into their families while men invest only 30-40 per cent. In Australia, it is estimated that closing the gap between female and male employment would boost the country's GDP by 11 per cent.