1. “Every day, approximately 1000 women die from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth. 99% of all maternal deaths occur in developing countries.”(Source: World Health Organization)

2. “According to the charity Childline, in South Africa a girl actually has a higher chance of being raped than of learning to read.” (Source: The Equality Illusion, Kat Banyard)

3. “Two-thirds of children denied school are girls, 64% of the world’s illiterate adults are women, 41m girls are still denied a primary education.” (Source: The Observer)

4. “1 out of every 6 American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime.” (Source: Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network)

5. Rape is used as a weapon of war.

6. As many as 10 million women in the United States are starving themselves to fit unattainable beauty standards perpetuated by advertising, television, movies, and social pressure.

7. “When women survive childbirth, they are more likely send their children to school, get their children vaccinated and contribute to the peace and sustainability of their countries.  Their children are also up to ten times more likely to survive. Invest in a woman and you are investing in her family, her community, her nation and our world.” (Source: Change.org)

8. “Women perform two-thirds of the world’s work and produce half the world’s food, but earn just 10% of the income and own 1% of the property.” (Source: Google)

9. “For all full-time wage and salary workers across the [United States], women’s median weekly wages were 80.2 percent of men’s last year.” There is variation among states, so go to NYTimes.com for the full article.

10. Although women make up 51% of the United States population, they make up only about 17% of the House and 17% of the Senate. (Source: Inter-Parlimentary Union)

There are more reasons, but here are some to get you started.