Promoting Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) is key to reducing poverty and aiding economic growth. In every part of the world, women are paid less for their work and see fewer benefits of their labour. Discrimination and extra household responsibilities reduce their access to decent work and capital and time needed to improve their businesses, relative to men. On the other hand, investing in women has high economic and non-economic returns. For example, women are more likely than men to share economic rewards with their children, bringing benefits for their education and health.
A key objective of many private sector development (PSD) interventions is therefore to harness the private sector to promote WEE, or at the minimum, to do no harm. This page contains useful resources to achieve this, based on effective programme design, implementation and results measurement.
Synthesis Note on Women’s Economic Empowerment
For a summary of some of the latest original research on Women’s Economic Empowerment, have a look at the DCED Research & Evidence update with a special feature on the theme (September 2017).
Key research on constraints to women’s economic empowerment and how these may be addressed is summarised in our Synthesis Note.
DCED publications
DCED members have formed a Women’s Economic Empowerment Working Group (WEE WG) to share experiences and develop guidelines of effective practice for interventions supporting women’s economic empowerment. DCED publications on the theme by DCED Working Groups are listed below.
- Synthesis Document: How to Integrate Gender and Women’s Economic Empowerment into Private Sector Development Programmes, DCED WEEWG, 2017.
- Gender-Sensitive Business Environment Reform: Why does it matter? – A policy guide, DCED BEWG, 2017.
- Case Study: Advancing Women’s Financial Inclusion through Gender-Sensitive BER, DCED BEWG, 2017.
- Case Study: Gender-Sensitive BER and Informality, DCED BEWG, 2017.
- How to put Gender and WEE into practice in M4P – A Description of the Ethos, Systems and Tools used in the Alliances Programme in Georgia, Helen Bradbury, DCED WEEWG, 2016.
- Business Environment Reform and Gender, Technical paper, DCED BEWG 2016.
- Practitioner Brief: Rapid Qualitative Assessment Tool for Understanding Women’s Economic Empowerment Results, DCED, 2016. You can download a Word version of the annex questionnaire here.
- Policy Brief: Key lessons and recommendations drawn from a pilot study of BMZ-funded, GIZ-implemented interventions, DCED, 2016.
- DCED Webinar on Measuring Women’s Economic Empowerment, June 2014 (complete page)
For information on training opportunities in women’s economic empowerment, please visit the DCED events page.
Other Key Overview and Guidance Documents
- Women’s Economic Empowerment and Inclusive Growth:Labour Markets and Enterprise Development, GrOW Research Series, 2017.
- Women’s pathways to the digital sector: Stories of Challenges and Opportunities. GIZ, 2017.
- Revisiting what works: Women, Economic Empowerment and Smart Design, Center for Global Development, 2016.
- How inclusive is inclusive business for women? Endeva, 2016
- Rapid Review of Programmes for Women and Girl’s Economic Empowerment, EPS PEAKS, 2016
- Women’s Empowerment and Market Systems (WEAMS) Framework, Linda Jones for BEAM Exchange, 2016
- Women’s Economic Empowerment in Technical Assistance Programmes: Examples of good practice in private sector development. GIZ, 2016.
- Will women in low-income countries get lost in transformation? ODI, 2016
- Measuring Gendered Impact in Private Sector Development: Technical Reflections and Guidance for Programmes, Adam Smith International, March 2016.
- Gender Roles and Opportunities for Women in Urban Environments, GSDRC, January 2016.
- Making the business case: Women’s economic empowerment in market systems development, USAID 2015.
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A study of the premises underlying the Dutch Policy for women’s rights and gender equality, IOB, 2015 (including content on economic development).
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Toolbox: Promoting equal participation in sustainable economic development, GIZ, 2015. You can also find the French language version of this document here.
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Effectiveness of Entrepreneurship Interventions for Women Entrepreneurs – an ILO-WED Issue brief, 2014: Key Findings and Full Paper
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A Roadmap for Promoting Women’s Economic Empowerment, UN Foundation and Exxon Mobile Foundation, 2014 – Highlights Report and Full Report
- Women as Entrepreneurs: The impact of having an independent income on women’s empowerment, Chars Livelihood Programme, 2014.
Country Studies
- Women’s Economic Empowerment in Sub-Saharan Africa – Recommendations for Business Action. BSR, March 2017.
- Women’s Economic Empowerment in the MENA Region: Rapid assessment of household-level results, GIZ, March 2016.
- Kamlesh Niraula, Fareeha Ibrahim and Timothy Stewart (2015): A Study of the Vegetable Sector in Dadeldhura and Kaski districts, Nepal.
WEE and the Business Environment
- Scoping Study on Customary Law and Women’s Entrepreneurship, Business Environment Reform Facility, 2017
- Scoping Study on Gender Differences in Enterprise Surveys, Business Environment Reform Facility, 2017
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ILO (2009/2011): The ILO has conducted several country assessments of the enabling environment for WED, including on the Kyrgyz Republic, and a combined study on Nigeria, Cameroon, Mali, Rwanda and Senegal. (ILO WED page)
WEE and Value Chain/ Market Development Programmes
- Transitioning into the Formal – Women Entrepreneurs in the Informal Economy of Nepal, Centre for Economic Policy Research, May 2016.
- Near East Foundation (2016): Empowering women in Kordofan, Sudan through non-timber forest products entrepreneurship, commercialisation and market systems development.
- SDC (2016): Mainstreaming WEE in Market Systems Development (Guidance).
- BEAM Exchange (2016): Understanding unpaid care work to understand women’s empowerment in market systems approaches.
- SDC e+i network, in cooperation with M4P Hub (2012): Women’s Economic Empowerment in M4P Projects. Synthesis of the e-discussion of SDC’s e+i network, 19 March to 10 April 2012.
WEE and Business Development Services
- How to grow women-owned businesses: policy brief. IDRC, 2017.
- Supporting Growth-Oriented Women Entrepreneurs: A Review of the Evidence and Key Challenges, The World Bank Group, 2014.
- Das, Narayan et. al. (2013): How Do Intra-household Dynamics Change When Assets Are Transferred to Women? Evidence from BRAC’s “Targeting the Ultra Poor” Program in Bangladesh, Gender, Agriculture and Assets Project led by IFPRI and ILRI.
- Todd, Petra (2012) The effectiveness of interventions aimed at improving women’s employability and quality of work. A critical review, Policy Research Working Paper, The World Bank.