When the Nobel award came my way it also gave me an opportunity to do something immediate and practical about my old obsessions including literacy basic health care and gender equity aimed specifically at India and Bangladesh.

I want to state upfront unequivocally and without doubt: I do not believe that any racial ethnic or gender group has an advantage in sound judging. I do believe that every person has an equal opportunity to be a good and wise judge regardless of their background or life experiences.

Every American deserves to live in freedom to have his or her privacy respected and a chance to go as far as their ability and effort will take them - regardless of race gender ethnicity or economic circumstances.

A lot of parents never speak to their transgender kids again that's not the case in my family.

As long as the G.O.P. led by its increasingly visible women continues to insist that the problem is not their policies but women's failure to understand their own lives and interests the gender gap won't go away.

I don't think people should have boundaries put on them by themselves or society or another gender because it's our birthright to experience life in whatever way we feel best suits us.

Whether born from experience or inherent physiological or cultural differences our gender and national origins may and will make a difference in our judging.

Most men are very attached to the idea of being male and usually experience a lot of fear and insecurity around the idea of being a man. Most women are very identified with their gender and also experience a tremendous amount of fear and insecurity.

It was the experience of mystery - even if mixed with fear - that engendered religion.

Women have talent and intelligence but due to social constraints and prejudices it is still a long distance away from the goal of gender equality.

As a partner in a firm full of women who work outside of the home as well as stay at home mothers all with plenty of children gender equality is not a talking point for me. It is an issue I live every day.

And think of how we challenged the idea of a male dominated Parliament with All-Women shortlists and made the cause of gender equality central to our government. We were right to do so.

Propelled by freedom of faith gender equality and economic justice for all India will become a modern nation. Minor blemishes cannot cloak the fact that India is becoming such a modern nation: no faith is in danger in our country and the continuing commitment to gender equality is one of the great narratives of our times.

Any serious shift towards more sustainable societies has to include gender equality.

Gender equality will only be reached if we are able to empower women.

U.N. Women was created due to the acknowledgement that gender equality and women's empowerment was still despite progress far from what it should be. Transforming political will and decisions such as the Member States creating U.N. Women into concrete steps towards gender equality and women's empowerment I think is one of the main challenges.

Educational equality doesn't guarantee equality on the labor market. Even the most developed countries are not gender-equal. There are still glass ceilings and 'leaky pipelines' that prevent women from getting ahead in the workplace.

The 2010 global gender gap report by the World Economic Forum shows that countries with better gender equality have faster-growing more competitive economies.

Our society needs to recognize the unstoppable momentum toward unequivocal civil equality for every gay lesbian bisexual and transgendered citizen of this country.

Gender equality is more than a goal in itself. It is a precondition for meeting the challenge of reducing poverty promoting sustainable development and building good governance.

We are a model country where gender equality is concerned.

One of the factors a country's economy depends on is human capital. If you don't provide women with adequate access to healthcare education and employment you lose at least half of your potential. So gender equality and women's empowerment bring huge economic benefits.

I think feminism's a bit misinterpreted. It was about casting off all gender roles. There's nothing wrong with a man holding a door open for a girl. But we sort of threw away all the rules so everybody's confused. And dating becomes a sloppy uncomfortable unpleasant thing.

One of the hardest questions I have been asked is 'How will you manage the army if you are having menstrual cramps?' I have also been asked if I will have the courage to face criminals. My answer is that courage is not a matter of gender.