Melinda's Mission

In her new book, The Moment of Lift, Melinda Gates sounds the call for gender equality.

After almost a decade at Microsoft, Melinda Gates has devoted her life to empowering women. From her work at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which focuses on poverty and health abroad and public education in the U.S., to investing in venture-capital funds that support companies started by women and people of color to starting Pivotal Ventures, which opens pathways to technology to girls, and Evoke, an online community for and about change makers, she is steadfast in her commitment to equality for all. In The Moment of Lift (Flatiron Books), she mines her life to illuminate issues affecting women and girls worldwide. Here, she discusses her career, the foundation’s efforts, and how to lift up all women.

Marie Claire: You mention a demanding schedule and the fact that there wasn’t a formal family-leave policy in place while you were at Microsoft. What’s your advice for current tech founders whose employees work 80-plus hours a week, which often creates an environment that can feel impossible for women, particularly those with children?

Melinda Gates: When employees believe they’re in an unfair situation, they leave. An organization called the Kapor Center recently conducted a study looking at who is leaving tech and why and found that employees from all backgrounds cited unfairness more than any other factor as a key driver of their decision to go. The bottom line is that if you want to build a great company that helps contribute to a better future, you need women and people of color to be a part of it.