Mastercard’s commitment to gender balance

Too much of our world was designed without women in mind –and without women involved. Even today, inequality and exclusion still hold women back. That’s why Mastercard is pushing our networks further, forging ambitious partnerships and championing the people, businesses and innovations that are transforming the way our world works.

First, we’re focused on how we support our own people.

It’s essential for our business that we foster a workplace where all employees feel valued, respected and empowered to reach their greatest potential. That includes equal pay for equal work.

I’m incredibly pleased to share that we’ve achieved gender pay equity. Women at our company earn $1.00 to every $1.00 men earn, based on our latest analysis of employees at the same level, doing the same role.

And, today, we’re sharing that the median pay for women globally is 92.2 percent of the median for men.These numbers speak to the work that lies ahead for us: Our aim is parity across all measures.

We’re committed to cultivate diverse talent across the company as we build a globally dynamic, engaged and balanced team. 

Second, we look at how we impact the market. 

Over the course of this month—and beyond—you’ll hear from Mastercard leaders on new and existing programs we’re implementing to meet the unique needs of women. This includes our continued commitment to female small business owners.

 Today, only 3 percent of global venture dollars are invested in female-only funded start-ups. Through our partnerships and programs like StartPath, we’re pushing our network of investors and angels to help increase the number of female founders and give them path to scale. Our research shows that when women work, economies grow. So far, our female-founded and -led start-ups have raised nearly $1 billion in capital investment.   

Third, we’re focused on how we drive change in society. 

When I started my career, I was often the only woman in the room. Building the next generation of female leaders is essential for our company and for our world. From partnerships with organizations like the 30% Club; the Financial Alliance for Women; Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; and USAID to our Girls4Tech commitment to educate one million girls in technology, cybersecurity and AI by 2025, we’re bringing diverse perspectives to the table. We look forward to sharing a new research initiative around overcoming the gender gap in technology. 

Connecting people to possibilities is fundamental to what we do at Mastercard. It’s what Priceless is all about – unlocking the potential in every person across all parts of their lives