What we do and why business should care

• Who We Are

  Girl Stats was set up in 2018, by a group of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and global risk data experts to highlight the human rights abuses girls and women face in global supply chains. 

  They set out to create a new think tank that helps companies understand how their operations impact girls and young women and how they can support women to become agents for positive change in workplaces and society. The vision was to become a ‘one stop shop’ with the data and analytics necessary to better understand the realities on the ground, increase transparency and support businesses in making strategic decisions . 
  

  Today, Girl Stats provides business leaders with the information they need to successfully target investments to reduce gender inequality, and improve the lives of girls in global operations, supply chains and local communities. We support companies in shaping their human rights agendas, aligning themselves with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and helping to unlock the untapped potential of girls and young women in global markets. 

• Our Manifesto

  Girl Stats envisions a world in which every girl and young woman can thrive, have choices and live educated, healthy and economically empowered lives with equal opportunities in their workplaces, families and communities. 

  We want to turn this vision into reality by supporting the organisations, business leaders and governments that are prepared to be change makers and take effective action to tackle gender inequality and discrimination throughout global supply chains.

  Our mission is to use data analytics that is geared towards all women's issues, to help accelerate responsible decisions that positively impact the lives of adolescent girls and young women throughout their life cycles.

• Our Team

  Leadership

  

  Jennifer Martin

  Project Manager

  Jennifer is an independent consultant working in human rights, supply chain research and strategy. Jennifer …

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  Jennifer is an independent consultant working in human rights, supply chain research and strategy. Jennifer is currently leading the work of the organisation and has been involved in its development and growth since it was first conceived back in 2015. Jennifer’s most recent work as an independent research consultant has involved conducting multi-disciplinary research and analysis for Fortune 500 firms and NGOs, specialising in qualitative research and stakeholder engagement and working collaboratively with clients for bespoke research and consulting pieces.Previously, Jennifer worked for Verisk Maplecroft’s as a Human Rights Analyst, and central to her work was the reporting on respect for Women and Girls Rights and Child Labour in global supply chains. Jennifer holds a M.S.c from the London School of Economics (LSE) in Social Policy and Development and received her B.A. in International Relations from Utrecht University.

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  Rhona Corner

  Secretary

  Rhona provides the administrative support for Girl Stats and the Board of Trustees. She holds …

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  Rhona provides the administrative support for Girl Stats and the Board of Trustees. She holds a bachelor’s degree in International Relations from the University of Exeter and has over 8 years’ experience as a board level Executive Assistant.

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  Nessa Khandaker

  Project Support Volunteer

  Nessa is a qualified litigation lawyer and Human Rights LLM candidate. In her day job …

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  Nessa is a qualified litigation lawyer and Human Rights LLM candidate. In her day job as a lawyer, Nessa works towards promoting gender and racial inclusivity in the workplace. As for her human rights studies, Nessa is especially interested in analysing business and human rights issues through an intersectional feminist lens.

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  Expert Consultants and Advisors

  

  Danielle Feldstein

  Human Rights & Business Consultant

  Danielle is a human rights and business consultant with 10 years of work experience in …

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  Danielle is a human rights and business consultant with 10 years of work experience in international organisations, NGOs, the private sector and as a freelance consultant. She focuses particularly on the nexus of human rights and vulnerable communities, analysing how large-scale projects affect the most at-risk groups, in particular children, women, migrants and indigenous peoples. Finding opportunities to mitigate the human rights footprint of projects on these communities and empowering the more marginalised segments of global society is her daily bread and butter.

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  Michelle Carpenter

  Human Rights & Diversity and Inclusion Specialist

  Michelle has over ten years’ experience working in the areas of human rights, corporate social …

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  Michelle has over ten years’ experience working in the areas of human rights, corporate social responsibility, diversity and inclusion, and strategic communications. She is currently based in Dublin, where she is the Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Business Partner for EMEA at Indeed. Prior to Indeed, Michelle was based in the UK where she worked as a Senior Human Rights Analyst at Verisk Maplecroft. Michelle attended Trinity College Dublin, where she received a B.A. Mod. in Spanish and Russian, and an M.Phil in Race, Ethnicity and Conflict. She most recently received a diploma in Diversity and Inclusion from Yale School of Management.

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  Tania Woodcock

  Sustainability Consultant

  Tania is an independent consultant with over eight years’ experience in sustainability consulting at a …

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  Tania is an independent consultant with over eight years’ experience in sustainability consulting at a global level for the non-profit, public and private sectors. Tania’s work has spanned a broad range of industries including agriculture, garments and textiles, seafood, and extractive industries. Among other work, Tania currently manages the Ocean Disclosure Project for the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership (SFP), a platform for voluntary disclosure of seafood sourcing, and is conducting research into the risk of human trafficking, forced labour, and hazardous child labour in global food supply chains. Previously, Tania worked for Verisk Maplecroft, where she conducted environmental and social risk analysis for many of the world’s leading businesses including multinational food and beverage producers, garment retailers, and investors. Tania earned her Masters Degree in Marine Environmental Management from the University of York in 2011.

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  Board of Trustees

  

  Our Chair - Sondra Scott

  COO at Verisk Financials

  Sondra currently holds post of COO of Verisk Financials and is the Chair of our …

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  Sondra currently holds post of COO of Verisk Financials and is the Chair of our Board of Trustees. Ms. Scott has more than 25 years of experience working in the content and analytics sector in the energy and risk discipline. She has led multisized global research and consultancy teams and is an experienced strategist with a passion for innovative product development. She has worked in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Latin America, globalizing businesses and developing local practices. She received a master of science degree from the University of Pennsylvania, a Diplôme d’Ingénieur from the Institut Français du Pétrole, and a bachelor of arts degree from Wesleyan University.

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  Donna Westerman

  CEO at Sustainable Purchasing Leadership Council

  As CEO, Donna Westerman guides the SPLC's direction and implements strategies to maintain the organization's …

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  As CEO, Donna Westerman guides the SPLC's direction and implements strategies to maintain the organization's focus on leading the development and growth of programs that empower procurement and supply chain professionals to integrate high-impact, sustainable purchasing leadership practices. Donna has spent her career leading strategic/tactical solutions for large-scale corporate initiatives - commodity and country risk analysis, sustainable sourcing, and human rights. Donna began the first supplier diversity programs at Bristol-Myers Squibb and Wrigley. She has served as the Director of Supplier Diversity & Social Accountability/Global Supply Chain for Avon Products. As the first VP of Responsible Sourcing for Mars, Inc, she assembled the Global Responsible Sourcing Center of Excellence team, responsible for Mars' first Code of Conduct. Donna comes to SPLC most recently from Verisk Maplecroft, where she served in a number of positions, including Vice President of Environment, Sustainability, and Governance (ESG), Head of Retail and Consumer Goods; and Vice President for Consulting. In these positions, she developed and enhanced CSR programs and processes for global retail and consumer clients and established policy development/guidance, training/issue trend monitoring, analysis/implementation guidance, and resources to ensure both supply chain resiliency and adaptation of more sustainable procurement practices. Along with the Academic credentials include an MBA in Industrial Relations and a BS in Business Administration/ Marketing from Seton Hall University, and a CSR Certification from Harvard Business School.

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  Pat McLaughlin

  Senior Vice President and Chief Sustainability Officer at Verisk Analytics

  Since 2014, Pat McLaughlin has worked with leadership and employees across Verisk to create the …

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  Since 2014, Pat McLaughlin has worked with leadership and employees across Verisk to create the environmental, social and governance framework guiding the company’s sustainability efforts. He leads Verisk’s annual greenhouse gas emissions inventory, which covers 100+ locations worldwide. He consults on social and governance issues ranging from Verisk’s supplier diversity program to its annual statement on modern slavery. He also directs the company’s corporate giving program. Headquartered in New Jersey, Verisk is an S&P 500® company serving customers globally in insurance, energy and specialized markets, and financial services. Pat holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Notre Dame and earned a Juris Doctor degree, cum laude, from New York Law School. He has broad experience as an active volunteer in the community, with local government, and as a trustee for various not-for-profit organizations and schools, including an all-girls K-12 school in Princeton, New Jersey where he also served on the STEM Task Force.

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• Our Partners

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• What We Do

  Girl Stats’ interactive data is aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and offers insight into the key issues that adolescent girls and young women (aged 15-24) face around the world. 

  The data can be used to support businesses to understand where their engagement will have the most positive impact so that they can better target their investments and identify and implement sustainable solutions that contribute to the realisation of the SDGs. 

  We will work with companies and foundations to develop bespoke indices and analytics which can be used to highlight a specific issue or challenge for girls. By using data-driven solutions, Girl Stats aims to facilitate decision making and help businesses and organisations shape and meet their human rights agendas. 

  To give adolescent girls and young women a voice and a platform, we work collaboratively with thematic experts to publish in-depth analysis, case studies and stories of change on the issues that impact girls. 

  Drawing on the Women’s Empowerment Principles, Girl Stats focuses on telling positive stories about the role businesses can play in improving the lives of girls around the world.

  Girl Stats at a glance:

  • 50+ Datasets aligned with the SDG targets, covering conflict, employment, education, health, legal status, and migration in 198 countries
  • In-depth analysis and insights on how these issues impact both businesses and girls in selected countries 
  • Country narratives allowing users to compare indicators within each country 
  • Case studies of CSR initiatives demonstrating the positive impact of business investment in girls
  • Links to NGOs working on girls’ issues on the ground to help businesses identify partnership opportunities and develop their own initiatives to improve their social impact.

  
  

  Girl Stats is funded by Verisk and is implemented by Verisk Maplecroft

• Why Invest in Girls?

  Breaking the cycle of intergenerational poverty

  Girls and young women represent an important group of potential employees in both developed economies and emerging markets, and investment in girls yields considerable social and economic returns for businesses and societies alike. 

  The previous President of the World Bank, Jim Yong Kim, has stated that investing in female employment is “essential for business.” Yet, across the globe, adolescent girls and young women face a number of legal, societal, cultural and religious barriers that prevent them from enjoying a life with equal opportunity.

  By learning about the issues that girls face around the world, and by investing in their development, business can recruit and retain talented young women, and unlock more potential while also improving their competitive edge.

  Girls who are educated, skilled and economically empowered can go on to effectively compete in the labour market, where they can break the cycle of exclusion and vulnerability and break through barriers and stereotypes that create a gendered division of work and life.

  In the long-run economically empowered girls can help: 

  • Lift their families and communities out of poverty
  • Strengthen their countries’ economies and increase GDP 
  • Stimulate more inclusive economic growth
  • Positively impact the environment

• Why Empower Girls?

  Population of girls aged 15-24 (2018): 572 million

  Girls aged 15-24 make up 7.6% of the world’s population. However, of that figure, only 33.5% are employed – the lowest percentage in the last three decades. While this decrease can be attributed partially to strengthened efforts to tackle child labour, girls continue to be disproportionately affected by unemployment and early exit from the labour market. 

  Girls and young women are also more likely to face higher risks of vulnerable employment (i.e. self-employment or working as part of a family business). These factors have a significant impact on economic development. The World Bank (WB) estimates that gender inequalities in earnings could lead to losses of USD 23,620 per person globally. 

  Why are girls absent from the labour market?

  • Poverty: In many countries, boys’ education is prioritised when low-income families cannot afford the direct costs of sending all of their children to school.
  • Early drop-out rates: Often, young girls bear the chore burden at home, and many do not complete their schooling due to family responsibilities. 
  • Child marriage: Although child marriage is a human rights violation, in least economically developed countries one in every three girls is married before the age of 18, and one in every nine is married under the age of 15. Child marriage has serious implications for a girl's health and career prospects. The latter can also have a long-term effect on the wider family unit. 
  • Pregnancy: 7.3 million babies are born to girls under the age of 18 each year. Pregnancy is the second leading cause of death among adolescent girls aged 15-19 globally. Along with significant health consequences, pregnancy affects both a girl’s education and her potential to earn an income. Many girls will drop out of school to assume household and childcare responsibilities. In some countries, such as Sierra Leone, girls are prohibited from attending school once they fall pregnant.
  • Conflict: Girls continue to be disproportionately affected by conflict and emergencies. The use of rape and sexual violence by security forces against girls not only contributes to early pregnancies and the spread of diseases such as HIV/AIDS, but in some cultures it can also ‘dishonour’ a girl, reducing her chances of marrying at a later stage. Conflict also negatively impacts girls’ education and their access to healthcare as families will often forbid girls from leaving the home during violent outbreaks.
  • Patriarchy and legal framework discouraging women to work: In some countries, girls require the express permission of their husband or male guardian to go to school, work and travel. 

  Encouraging girls’ economic empowerment makes sense

  • A wider tax base for governments: More girls working means greater contributions to government taxes and associated welfare provisions.
  • Increased purchasing power for young women: Women account for over 70% of consumer purchasing globally. With more girls and women active on the job market, they can spend more and push the economy forward.
  • Substantial positive multiplier effects: Women’s economic empowerment has a direct positive impact on the health and educational outcomes within a household.
  • A new inheritance paradigm: When labour market opportunities improve, gender bias in inheritance is reduced. As children begin to seek work outside their parental occupation, families are less likely to discriminate between sons and daughters in terms of inheritance. Instead, wealth is viewed by parents as a human capital investment rather than as work incentives for sons. 

• Letter by the Chairperson of the Trustees

  Welcome to Girl Stats – 

  We believe that an empowered, skilled female workforce is a driver for business success and we see a future where businesses and societies can propel women into decision-making positions, shatter gender stereotypes, and simultaneously improve their competitive edge. 

  Drawing on my experience as president of Verisk Maplecroft and my long career, together with my understanding of business needs and of women in the workplace, we launched Girl Stats in 2018 as an initiative that provides insightful data and analytics to influence responsible investment, lending and procurement decisions that benefit girls globally. 

  I firmly believe that for businesses to continue to thrive, it is essential to invest in the future of girls now. We want to demonstrate that over time and with the right support, girls can spur universal gains and be agents for positive change in workplaces and society alike. We want to unlock the potential of the next generation of girls and help them take greater control of their lives by changing their status in society so that they can make choices that they, their families and communities value and that help them all thrive. 

  It’s all about helping to empower girls to help themselves as they enter the workplace. This requires the creation of new domains for women in growth sectors and to break through barriers that create gendered division of work. We believe that they main ingredients to support the type of decision making that can make lasting change happen are data-driven solutions, increased access to information and ensuring a continuous and virtuous cycle of learning. 

  By providing the resources and tools to inform businesses and their investment decision, we support companies and their supply chains to elevate girls into leadership positions so that they can advocate for the improvement of gender responsive workplace policies and practices once they begin working. 

  Thank you for your interest in the organisations, and I hope you will join our mission and support the sustainable future of girls. 

  All the best,

   

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  Sondra Scott
  

  Chairperson of the Trustees, Girl Stats 

  President of Verisk Maplecroft

  
  

• FAQS

  Q: What is Girl Stats?

  We are an independent UK registered non-governmental organisation whose mission is to be the authoritative source of data and analytics that helps businesses improve the lives of adolescent girls and young women by empowering them to fulfil their social and economic potential. 

  Q: How do you achieve this?

  We work to achieve our mission through our interactive platform, that offers global data on adolescent girls and young women (aged 15-24). We use this data to work with businesses and communities to help them understand the issues that girls face, as well as the factors that drive these issues. This enables companies and their supply chains to make informed decisions that promote better outcomes for adolescent girls and young women, providing them with a path out of poverty.

  Q: Why adolescent girls and young women?
  

  Girls represent an important group of potential employees in both developed economies and emerging markets. Yet, across the globe, girls and young women face a number of legal, societal, cultural and religious barriers that prevent them from achieving their full social and economic potential. According to the World Bank, globally women have just 75% of men’s legal rights, and over 2.7 billion women are legally restricted from having the same choice of jobs as men. Such inherent gender discrimination means that girls often leave school earlier and are more likely to be affected by early exit from the labour market and unemployment, and subsequently find themselves trapped in exploitative jobs in the informal sector. Consequently female workers tend to be employed in low-paid, unskilled, low-value and low-status occupations and rarely hold positions of power, which prevents them from achieving full equality with their male counterparts. 

  Q: What is your area of focus?

  Currently we are focusing on the apparel industry where women make up 75% of workers worldwide. The vast majority of them are young women under the age of 30 and are located in countries where gender discrimination permeates the workspace. According to the World Bank (2016) female garment workers in particular face an inequitable access to good quality jobs and there are persistent inequalities in earnings, work-hours and in the types of jobs that men and women do.

  Q: What is your vision?

  We see a future where businesses and societies harness an empowered, skilled female workforce, thereby increasing purchasing power, generating wider tax bases, creating a new inheritance paradigm and producing better outcomes for health and education. But such a paradigm shift is only possible if we invest in girls now. 

  Q: Why should businesses invest in girls? 

  Girls are agents of change and essential for addressing and solving some of the most persistent development issues facing our world today. By engaging with the issues girls face and by investing in their development, businesses have the unique opportunity to directly benefit and impact global societies and drive economic growth. Subsequently businesses can:  

  o  Recruit and retain a bigger skilled workforce and improve their competitive edge

  Educated girls and women are healthier, have the skills to make choices over their own future and can subsequently lift themselves and their communities out of poverty, thereby contributing to positive development outcomes.

  o  Access a bigger and wealthier customer-base

  When more women work, economies will grow because women’s economic empowerment boosts productivity, increases economic diversification and income equality (IMF). An increase in income allows families to have more quality resources to sustain a higher standard of living.

  o  Unlock untapped potential

  Women reinvest up to 90% of their income back into their families, compared to just 30-40% by men, and empowered mothers provide better nutrition and health care as they spend more on their children (World Bank).  Investing in girls therefore creates long-term social and economic benefits for all individuals in the home, their communities, and the world as a whole. 

  o  Accelerate innovation 

  Women’s and girls’ educational attainment is essential for women’s economic empowerment, and contributes towards the construction of social capital, long-term inclusive economic growth and innovation. According to the OECD increased education accounted for about 50% of the economic growth in OECD countries in the past 50 years, which has a lot to do with bringing more girls to higher levels of education and achieving greater equality in the number of years spent in education between men and women. 

  o  Help combat climate change through an economically empowered and educated generation 

  One year of female schooling reduces fertility by 10% according to the UN. A key solution to tackling climate change therefore lies in educating girls and supporting family planning.

  o  Improve health, and reduce fertility rates and poverty levels

  Educating adolescent girls decreases fertility rates, cases of HIV/AIDS and overall health. In Morocco for example, 66% of women with secondary education use contraception which led to a decrease in maternal mortality rates by 60% between 1990 to 2009. Family planning and access to contraceptives enables millions of girls to stay in school, saves lives and has the capacity to lift entire communities out of poverty. 

  o  Influencing GNP of a nation and reducing gender pay gaps  

  The returns of education are vast; for every additional year of schooling the adult population has on average  a country’s GDP will increase by 0.37%. According to the World Bank, the barriers preventing women from fulfilling their economic potential are estimated to have cost the Asia-Pacific region around $42-46 billion in GDP losses.

  Q: How does Girl Stats empower businesses?

  We use data and tools that help companies to identify gaps, better target their investments and develop initiatives that positively impact the lives of girls in their global operations, supply chains and local communities. 

  Q: What does your data cover? 

  Girl Stats provides sex-disaggregated indicators that measure the most important gender issues across six categories; health & wellbeing, education, legal status, employment, migration and conflict & security. All indicators are aligned with the Sustainable Development Goal targets to help companies determine where they can contribute to the SDGs. 

  Q: Where do you get your data from?

  We collect our data from a number of open data sources: Wold Bank, OECD, FAO, UN Data, CIA Factbook, WHO, UN Population Division, UNICEF, UNODC, ILO, UN Gender Statistics, UN Development, World Economic Forum, Small Arms Survey and the UN.

  Q: How often do you update your data?

  We updated our indicators and data sets annually, in the first quarter of the year. 

  Q: What does ‘no data’ mean?

  'No data' highlights where data gaps exist. The lack of sex-disaggregated data demonstrates the need for greater research on the situation of adolescent girls and young women around the world.  

  Q: Where are you based?

  We are based in London, UK, and work with a global team of data, analytics and risk specialist.

  Q: How is Girl Stats funded?

  We are entirely philanthropically funded by our founding partner Verisk .  

  Q: Who are your implementing partners?

  Girl Stats main implementing partner is Verisk Maplecroft, which specialises in providing data-driven solutions and insight into the primary political risk, human rights, economic and environmental issues impacting organisational resilience, sustainable sourcing and the investment landscapes.