Gizelle George-Joseph

The economic potential of closing gender and racial gaps

Sharon Bell, Gizelle George-Joseph, Alison Nathan

Goldman Sachs economists Sharon Bell and Giselle George-Joseph present new research demonstrating that Higher Education, particularly HBCUs, and women's labor force participation are critical drivers of inclusive growth. Their findings reveal that HBCUs disproportionately produce Black STEM graduates and facilitate upward mobility at twice the rate of non-minority institutions, while closing global gender gaps in education and employment could boost worldwide GDP by 5% to 6%. Based on these data, the authors recommend targeted policy reforms for family-friendly support and equitable funding alongside private sector initiatives to broaden leadership pipelines and provide unrestricted resources to underfunded institutions.