>>> Read the full resource

IFC, 2019 – 137 pages

Our research examines gender balance—defined as leadership teams with at least 30% of men and women—in private equity and venture capital funds and the companies they invest in within emerging markets. We explore the relationship between gender balance and fund performance, and the roles that general partners, the vehicles investing private equity and venture capital funds, and limited partners, the source of capital, can play in alleviating gender gaps in investment funds and their portfolio companies. We find that the gender gaps in the representation of women as allocators and recipients of capital put access to financing at risk for female entrepreneurs and may reduce investment returns for funds. This report answers three questions:

• How gender-balanced are leadership teams of General Partners, which allocate capital, and of portfolio companies, which receive investments?
• Are there benefits of moving leadership teams toward gender balance within General Partners and portfolio companies?
• What can General Partners do to move toward gender balance in their leadership teams and those of the portfolio companies they invest in?

>>> Read the full resource

OECD, 2018 – 151 pages

This report explores a range of factors that underpin the digital gender divide, bolsters the evidence base for policy making and provides policy directions for consideration by all G20 governments. The report finds that hurdles to access, affordability, lack of education as well as inherent biases and sociocultural norms curtail women and girls’ ability to benefit from the opportunities offered by the digital transformation. In addition, girls’ relatively lower educational enrolment in disciplines that would allow them to perform well in a digital world – such as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, as well as information and communication technologies – coupled with women’s and girls’ more limited use of digital tools could lead to widening gaps and greater inequality. Co-ordinated policy action can help narrow the digital gender gap. This requires:

• Raising awareness and tackling gender stereotypes.
• Enabling enhanced, safer, and more affordable access to digital tools.
• Stronger cooperation across stakeholders to remove barriers to girls and women’s full participation in the digital world.

>>> Read the full resource

International Trade Centre, 2015 – 80 pages

This publication provides insights to decision-makers on women’s participation in trade and the challenges they face. It provides data from importers and exporters in 20 developing countries; outlines the trade barriers; shares models of good public and private sector initiatives; and provides recommendations for policymakers to engage female entrepreneurs more fully in the global economy.

The report outlines a road map to rapidly boost the participation of women in the global economy, which has eight pillars for policy and programming action:

• Better data. Collect, analyse, and disseminate data on women’s economic participation, to shape policies and programmes with impact.
• Sensitive trade policies. Create trade policies and agreements that enhance women’s participation in trade.
• Access to public procurement. Empower women-owned businesses to participate in the US$10 trillion annual public procurement market. Their current share is an estimated 1%–5%.
• Diversity in corporate procurement. Create corporate procurement programmes that embed diversity and inclusion in value chains.
• Certifying women-owned businesses. Set up mechanisms to certify ownership and eligibility of women-owned businesses.
• Improving business environments. Address supply-side constraints that especially affect women-owned businesses.
• Bridging the finance gap. Close the gap between men and women for access to financial services gap.
• Adopting reforms. Ensure legislative and administrative reforms guarantee women’s rights to ownership and control over resources.

>>> Read the full resource

UNIDO, 2015 – 82 pages

All United Nations agencies share responsibility for improving gender equality and thus need to understand the relevance of gender issues to fulfilling their mandate. By systematically mainstreaming gender into its Business, Investment and Technology (BIT) interventions to strengthen Private Sector Development (PSD), UNIDO is contributing to ensuring equal opportunities for women and men. The aims of this guide are to:

• Explain what gender mainstreaming means for UNIDO.
• Describe how key thematic aspects of BIT/ UNIDO’s work relate to gender.
• Provide practical, step-by-step guidance on how to systematically mainstream gender into BIT projects.

>>> Read the full resource

ICRW, 2014 – 8 pages

This study highlights the eight building blocks of WEE. Additionally, it presents results from research on corporate-funded WEE programmes.

Main takeaways:

• While there are a lot of corporations investing in WEE, there is little available data about what is working and what is not.
• Most programmes focus on access to education, financial support, training, and employment opportunities rather than a more integrated approach based on a human rights framework that delivers the broader conditions necessary for women to thrive.
• There is an opportunity and desire to increase collaboration and improve communications between the women’s rights sector and corporations working in WEE programmes.