10億女性將如何改變商界？

????如果讓您列出未來幾十年可能對商界影響最大的一些因素，你也許會舉出一些共同的主題：科技演變，市場全球化，西方國家的財政挑戰，等等。但有一個因素或許是你沒有想到的，那就是女性。

????根據我們的研究，僅未來十年，就將首次有近10億女性進入全球經濟領域。她們將極大地改變全球的商業和經濟世界。

????這些女性是誰？我們稱她們為“第三個10億”，因為她們的經濟影響絕不會亞于中國或印度各自的10多億人口。雖然如今這些女性在很多市場中都被忽視，在另一些市場中受到壓制，但無論是作為員工，還是企業家，她們正日益在全球經濟中占據一席之地。用不了太久，她們也將在管理層中擁有自己的位置。一旦她們開始贏得領導地位，她們將改變全球眾多知名機構的經濟潛力和企業文化。

????迄今為止，這些女性缺乏一些基本的條件，無法為國家經濟做貢獻。她們中有的人沒有受到過必要的教育和就業培訓，但更多是因為法律、家庭、后勤或經濟原因而沒有工作。根據國際勞工組織（International Labour Organization）的數據，到2020年將有約8.65億的工作年齡(20-65歲)女性，其中8.12億居住在新興國家和發展中國家。

????這支勞動大軍的興起對于私營部門是一個極大的機會。無論是在裝配線上，是擔任電話銷售，還是出現在研發實驗室或董事會會議室內，女性參與度的提高都將推動增長，打開新的市場。深知這一點的公司早已采取措施，更好地融合全球女性。

????比如，高盛（Goldman Sachs）推出了為期五年的“萬名女性”（10,000 Women）計劃，拿出1億美元為女性企業家們提供商業和管理培訓。這些女性的企業發展已經超越了小微貸款層面，但尚未有足夠的資信獲得傳統融資。該計劃目前在22個國家運作，有超過80個本地合作伙伴，提供經營、人力資源和商業計劃發展等實務培訓。截至2012年5月，已有超過6,000名女性已經報名參與計劃，或者已經結業。目前，高盛已經開始和公共部門及非政府組織合作，擴大計劃覆蓋面。

????有些國家目前仍然在努力走出經濟低迷的困境，女性對這些國家意味著更大的機會。我們的保守估算顯示，在美國，如果女性就業率追平男性，總體GDP將增加5%。在日本，這樣的變化將使GDP增加9%。

????在發展中國家，這一效應將更加顯著。阿聯酋的GDP將由此增加12%，埃及增加34%。

????“第三個10億”的崛起部分源于一些思想進步的國家意識到女性帶來的經濟機會，因而著手采取措施幫助她們。它們為女孩們提供更多的受教育機會、制定養老托幼政策、支持創業家以及推行女性公平就業政策。

????所有這些變化帶來了一個有意思的問題：隨著更多女性加入就業大軍，未來幾十年《財富》雜志“最具影響力女性排行榜”會有怎樣的變化？更具體點，比如到2040年，將會是怎樣一個狀況？雖然沒有人能夠準確的預測未來，但我們對此還是有些大概的想法。

????If you were to list the factors with the biggest potential impact on the business world over the next few decades, you'd likely cite some common themes - evolving technology, the globalization of markets, and fiscal challenges in Western countries, perhaps. But here's one you might not have considered: women.

????According to our research, nearly 1 billion women will enter the global economy for the first time in the coming decade alone. And they will dramatically reshape the world of business and economies, globally.

????Who are these women? We call them the "third billion," in that their economic impact will be just as significant as that of the billion-plus populations in China or India, respectively. While these women have been overlooked in many markets -- and actively suppressed in others -- they are increasingly taking their place in the global economy, as both employees and entrepreneurs. It will not be long before they take their place as executives as well. Once these women begin to earn positions of leadership, they will change the economic potential and corporate culture of the world's most esteemed organizations.

????To date, these women have lacked the fundamental requirements needed to contribute to their national economies. They either haven't had the necessary education and training to work, or -- more frequently -- they simply couldn't, because of legal, familial, logistical, or financial issues. Of the roughly 865 million women who will be of working age (between the ages of 20 and 65) by 2020, according to the International Labour Organization, 812 million live in emerging and developing nations.

????For the private sector, this emerging workforce represents a significant opportunity. Greater participation from women -- on the assembly line, on sales calls, in R&D labs, and in the boardroom -- can inspire growth and open new markets. Companies that understand this are already taking measures to better integrate women around the world.

????For example, Goldman Sachs (GS) launched the 10,000 Women initiative, a five-year, $100 million effort to provide business and management education to female entrepreneurs. These women have grown beyond microfinance but don't yet have the track record to access traditional forms of capital. The program, now operating in 22 countries and working with more than 80 local partners, provides practical training in operations, human resources, and business plan development. As of May 2012, more than 6,000 women had enrolled in or graduated from the program, and Goldman has begun working with the public sector and nongovernmental organizations to increase the program's reach.

????For countries struggling to break out of economic doldrums, women represent an even bigger opportunity. Our estimates (which are conservative) show that if female employment rates were to match male employment rates in the United States, overall gross domestic product (GDP) would increase by 5%. In Japan, such a change could raise GDP by 9%.

????In developing economies, the effect will be even more pronounced. The United Arab Emirates would see a boost of 12% in GDP, and the Egyptian economy would grow by 34%.

????The rising tide of the third billion is being enabled, in part, by progressive-minded countries that recognize the economic opportunity that women present and are taking steps to empower them. They're offering better access to education for girls, instituting policies regarding the care of children and the elderly, supporting entrepreneurs, and enforcing access-to-work policies for women.

????All of these changes raise an intriguing question: As more women join the workforce over time, how will Fortune's Most Powerful Women (MPW) list change in the coming decades? More specifically, what will it look like in, say, 2040? While no one knows for sure, we have some ideas.