Gender equality has yet to be fully realised and discrimination against LGBTIQ+ individuals remains widespread. Currently, the median full-time working woman earns approximately 88 cents for every dollar or euro that a median full-time working man earns. Additionally, fictitious job candidates who reveal engagement in LGBTIQ+ campus organizations are nearly 50% less likely to be invited to a job interview compared to their straight peers who were members of other progressive student associations.

Yet, gender and LGBTIQ+ equality not only benefit the individuals immediately concerned but also foster greater economic prosperity and social cohesion. Economically, reducing discrimination against marginalized groups boosts the overall pool of human capital by allowing more people to fulfil their potential, initially in education and subsequently in employment and broader economic activities. Furthermore, LGBTIQ+ equality generates positive ripple effects on the emancipation of other groups, primarily women, by challenging heteronormative standards. OECD data show that countries with the most comprehensive legal protections for LGBTIQ+ individuals also have smaller gender pay gaps and a higher proportion of women in parliament.

People and society benefit when everybody can fulfil their potential. But OECD comparisons of children from the top and bottom socioeconomic status groups (as defined by parents’ education levels, occupations and household incomes) show that children from a disadvantaged background are already falling behind even before they start school. The gap for emergent literacy, one of the best predictors of later educational attainment, is already evident at 12 months.

OECD data show that the older children become, the harder it becomes to close learning gaps. While some children from disadvantaged households do achieve strong outcomes when supported by the right policy interventions, many others often experience a series of lifelong disadvantages not only in education, but also in health, employment and other aspects of well-being. Investing in early education and care can narrow the gap, alongside policies that help families nurture their children’s opportunities, such as: parent engagement programmes, primary medical care, and social and employment services more broadly.