Improving the status of women not only betters the lives of billions worldwide, but also creates many social and environmental benefits, reports a new study by the Worldwatch Institute, a Washington, D.C.-based research organization. This review of projects from around the world shows that policies that improve women’s lives can enhance human rights as well as produce a handsome harvest of other effects, such as lower population growth, reduced child mortality, better management of natural resources, and healthier economies.