Equal pay boosts growth: IMF chiefWASHINGTON -- The chief of the International Monetary Fund on Monday called on governments and businesses to do more to promote the same economic opportunities for men and women and to fight discrimination that interferes with those goals. Speaking at a conference in Washington, the fund's managing director, Christine Lagarde, said that ensuring equal pay and economic opportunities for men and women boosts growth, promotes diversity, reduces economic inequality around the world and helps companies earn more. Equal pay has been a hot issue in the presidential campaign as American women are estimated to earn about 80 cents for every dollar earned by men. Both Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have pledged to fight for better pay and work conditions for women. Lagarde said that developing countries can foster equal pay by channeling government spending to areas such as education, health care and infrastructure, which affect women most.

Source: The China Post November 08, 2016 16:41 UTC