According to WSJ, Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates consider their foundation "their fourth child."According to the Journal, $2.1 billion has been committed by The Gates Foundation for gender equality efforts.They have both stated that they will continue to co-chair the foundation, despite their divorce in May.Check out more stories from Insider's business page.According to The Wall Street Journal, Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates see their charitable foundation as another of their children.Mark Suzman, Gates Foundation CEO, told the Journal that Mark and his wife, Mary, have three children together. He said that they "view this as if this were their fourth child." French Gates and Gates have contributed a large portion of their $130 billion fortune to philanthropic efforts through the foundation.According to the Journal Wednesday, $2.1 billion will be committed by the foundation over five years for gender equality efforts. According to the Journal, the money will be used to expand access to birth control, provide financial services and training for women and to propel women into leadership roles in law, economics and health.This announcement is in line with French Gates' previous advocacy for women's issues. In 2019, the philanthropist pledged $1 million to gender equality initiatives.French Gates, cofounder of Microsoft, and the Microsoft cofounder are planning to continue co-chairing their foundation even though they divorced in May after 27 years marriage.French Gates and Gates announced that they had made the decision to end their marriage after much thought and work. "We have had three amazing children over the past 27 years and created a foundation around the globe that enables all people to live healthy, productive lives. While we still share the same belief and will continue our work at the foundation together, we don't believe we can continue to grow as a couple in the next phase.Warren Buffett, Berkshire Hathaway's CEO, resigned from his role as a trustee at the Gates Foundation just weeks after they announced their separation.Buffett stated in his announcement that "my goals are 100% in sync" with the foundation's goals and that my physical participation is not required to reach these goals.
