3/11/25

Billie Eilish Just Gave Away $11.5 Million - and Proved What Happens When Women Have Money

Billie calls out those hoarding wealth and power - and how many of them still choose not to use it for good.

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When Billie Eilish took the stage at the WSJ Innovator Awards, no one expected a mic drop moment about money. Yet that’s exactly what happened. The 23-year-old star announced she was giving away $11.5 million from her tour earnings to causes like food security and climate justice - and then called out the billionaires in the room.

If you’re a billionaire, why are you a billionaire? No hate, but yeah, give your money away, shorties.

It was more than a viral moment, it was a statement about power. Because research consistently shows that when women hold wealth, they don’t just keep it. They use it to make the world fairer, safer, and more sustainable.

90% of Billionaires Are Men…..

And most of them built their fortunes before women could even open a bank account.

When Billie Eilish pledged 11.5 million dollars to social causes - with Mark Zuckerberg sitting just a few metres away - it wasn’t just celebrity gesture. It was an important cultural moment, exposing just how concentrated wealth and power remain in the hands of a few - and how many of them still choose not to use it for good.

Around 90 percent of the world’s billionaires are men, and most built their fortunes in systems designed long before women were even allowed to open their own bank accounts or access credit in their own names. For centuries, women were locked out of financial power, and even now they still control only a fraction of global wealth.

According to UBS, just 15 percent of the world’s ultra-high-net-worth individuals are women, and many inherited their wealth rather than being able to build it in the same way men could.

Joe Schildhorn/Shutterstock/Ritzau Scanpix

So when a 23-year-old woman takes the stage and tells billionaires - many of them products of those same systems - to give their money away, it lands differently. It’s not just about generosity; it’s about reclaiming power and redefining what wealth is for.

Women With Money Invest In the World - Not Just Themselves

When women gain financial power, the effects ripple far beyond their own lives. Studies show that women are more likely than men to invest in companies and funds that align with social and environmental values.

About 52 percent of women prefer to invest in businesses with a positive social or environmental impact, compared to 44 percent of men.

This isn’t just about personal ethics - it’s about directing capital toward solutions that address climate change, social inequality, and community development.

The same pattern appears in charitable giving. Globally, around 73 percent of donors are women, and they tend to support a wider range of causes and give more consistently than men. They prioritize education, health, climate action, and initiatives that uplift marginalized communities.

Research from the Women’s Philanthropy Institute finds that high-net-worth women are more likely than their male counterparts to donate to causes that benefit women and children, and they often engage in hands-on philanthropy, volunteering time alongside money.

Even in investing, women’s approach often prioritizes long-term impact over short-term gain. Impact investing, ESG funds, and socially responsible ventures attract more women because they reflect a broader view of what wealth can accomplish.

In short, when women have money, they don’t just grow it - they use it to grow society.

The world becomes more equitable, more sustainable, and more just. Their financial power is not self-serving; it’s a tool for collective progress.

Billie Eilish Didn’t Just Write a Check - She Lit a Spark.

By giving away 11.5 million dollars and calling out billionaires in the room, she turned her platform into a stage for accountability. In a single moment, she highlighted the stark contrast between those who hoard wealth and those who use it to create change.

Her actions are a powerful demonstration of what happens when women control money: it becomes a force for justice, climate action, and community, rather than self-interest or accumulation.

But Billie didn’t stop at generosity.

She asked the questions no one else would: why hold onto immense wealth while the world faces urgent crises, and who truly benefits when power and resources are concentrated in so few hands?

By speaking these truths in front of some of the most powerful men alive, she exposed a moral blind spot in the world of finance and fame.

Her example shows that financial power is not just personal, it’s political. When women have more, they can challenge entrenched systems, shift societal priorities, and redefine what it means to be rich. Billie Eilish’s mic-drop moment reminds us that money, when guided by conscience, can be a tool for profound change-and that asking the hard questions is just as critical as taking action.

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Cover photo: Robyn Beck/AFP/Ritzau Scanpix

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