Significant to the context of being female in the 21st century is the increasing support for the human and economic rights of women and girls.

Funds that support women in the United States were started in the 1970s by women such as Gloria Steinem and were catalyzed in the 1980s by philanthropists such as Helen LaKelly Hunt, Abigail Disney, and Tracy Gary to further energize the women's movement. These women spent their inherited wealth creating empowering opportunities for women and girls across the globe.

The Women's Funding Network was formally established in 1985, one of more than 60 women's funds in the United States that fund women's projects across [Page 1572]the globe. The network gave member women's funds financial resources, connections, and other services by holding ...