This made me all gushy.
When you consider the feminization of poverty in our own country, and all the right wing sexism (and left wing apathy) towards women, it becomes very clear that the continued oppression of women in all countries is damaging to everyone, not just women but families and neighborhoods and entire economic systems.
Throughout the world, women do most of the work and receive little of the profit. Even in the most competitive levels of the Oppression Olympics, the female version of any oppressed group will always be treated more harshly by society than the male version.
But when you give women a chance, you change everything. Women are more likely to put their earning back into the the family than men. Educated women are more likely to make sure their children are educated (both boys and girls). Investing in women is a sound strategy for reducing global pain.