Editorial — March 2026
Every March, around International Women’s Day, the public debate once again places a persistent reality in the foreground: gender gaps continue to mark access to opportunities, resources and economic power.
The gender pay gap remains one of the most visible: globally, women continue to earn on average around 20% less than men. Access to executive positions is also affected, with the percentage of female CEOs in Spain having fallen ten points in three years (currently standing at 18.5%). But the differences are not limited to the labour market. They are also reflected in access to technology, to financing and to investment.
Then there is the digital divide: millions of women around the world continue to have less access to the internet, less technological training and lower representation in the sectors most closely linked to innovation. And not through personal choice, but due to the environment in which they live and work. In an increasingly digitalised economy, this distance not only limits individual opportunities but also conditions the capacity of many women to start businesses, access financing or participate in new economic sectors.
Something similar occurs in the financial sphere. Although women’s participation in the financial system has grown over recent decades, significant differences still exist in access to financial products, credit or investment. Even in advanced economies, women remain underrepresented both among those who make investment decisions and among those who receive financing for their business projects. According to the World Bank’s Global Findex, 74% of women have access to a financial account compared to 78% of men globally. Although the gap has narrowed in recent years, millions of women remain excluded from the formal financial system.
These gaps rarely appear in isolation. They intersect with other inequalities that amplify their effects. Rural areas continue to mark significant differences in access to quality employment, digital connectivity or financial services. Similarly, socioeconomic background continues to condition opportunities for education, entrepreneurship and economic participation.
Impact investment to close gaps
In this context, the impact investment ecosystem plays an increasingly relevant role.
As more women gain access to the world of investment, interest in aligning financial decisions with social and environmental values also grows. Morgan Stanley’s Sustainable Signals 2025 report, for example, notes that women investors show a greater propensity to consider the social and environmental impact of their investments. This trend reinforces the idea that capital allocation can be a powerful tool for driving positive change.
Gender lens investing seeks precisely to channel capital towards solutions that reduce inequalities and expand opportunities. This encompasses everything from supporting women-led enterprises to financing business models that promote financial inclusion, digitalisation or entrepreneurship in territories with less access to resources.
In a global context marked by economic uncertainty, geopolitical tensions and social challenges, advancing equality cannot be considered a secondary agenda. On the contrary: reinforcing the commitment to Human Rights and to more inclusive economies is a condition for long-term stability and prosperity.
Closing gaps — all gaps (gender, digital, financial or territorial) — means expanding opportunities, strengthening communities and building economic systems capable of generating value for all people.
From SpainNAB, we reclaim this 8th of March as an opportunity to remember that progress towards equality requires a constant commitment, and that in times of uncertainty, advances in rights and positive impact cannot afford to go into reverse.
(Image created with AI)
