Measuring Women's Economic Empowerment

When women are economically empowered, communities and nations benefit. Yet, there has been a crucial knowledge gap regarding the most effective interventions that directly advance women's economic opportunities. In early 2012, the United Nations Foundation and the ExxonMobil Foundation joined forces, launching a project to address this gap and identify which development interventions best improve women's productivity and earnings.The two foundations, under the technical leadership of United Nations Foundation Senior Fellow Mayra Buvinic, convened a select group of more than 35 development economists and other experts from top universities, international agencies and non-profit organizations. The researchers worked on 17 review and empirical studies that investigated practical, implementable projects aimed at women's economic advancement. Together, the findings, with supporting evidence from more than 135 additional studies, were compiled into a report, A Roadmap for Promoting Women's Economic Empowerment, that outlines which interventions may work best to increase women's productivity and earnings in developing economies. The Roadmap was released in September 2013.In 2014, the United Nations Foundation and the ExxonMobil Foundation invited researchers who developed the Roadmap to help identify outcome measures or indicators for women's economic empowerment programs, informed by the researchers' first-hand experience with rigorous research and program evaluation

How do women weather economic shocks ? a review of the evidence

Do women weather economic shocks differently than men? The evidence shows this to be the case, especially in low-income countries. The first-round impacts of economic crises on women's employment should be particularly salient in the current downturn, since women have increased their participation in the globalized workforce and therefore are more directly affected by the contraction of employment than in the past. Crises also have second-round impacts, as vulnerable households respond to declining income with coping strategies that can vary significantly by gender. In the past, women from low-income households have typically entered the labor force, while women from rich households have often exited the labor market in response to economic crises. In contrast, men's labor force participation rates have remained largely unchanged. Evidence also suggests that women defer fertility during economic crises and that child schooling and child survival are adversely affected, mainly in low-income countries, with adverse effects on health being greater for girls than for boys. In middle-income countries, by contrast, the effects on children's schooling and health are more nuanced, and gender differences less salient. Providing women in poor households with income during economic downturns makes economic sense. This paper reviews workfare programs and cash transfers and finds that the former provide poor women with income only when they include specific design features. The latter have been effective in providing mothers with income and protecting the wellbeing of children in periods of economic downturn.Labor Markets,Population Policies,Labor Policies,Gender and Development,Health Monitoring&Evaluation

How Do Women Weather Economic Shocks? What We Know

Do women weather economic shocks differently than men?1 First-round impacts of economic crises on women’s employment should be more prominent in this recent economic downturn than historically because of women’s increased participation in the globalized workforce. Second-round impacts result from the strategies that vulnerable households use to cope with declining income, which can vary by gender. In the past, women from low-income households have typically entered the labor force, while women from high-income households have often exited the labor market in response to economic crises. Evidence also suggests that women defer fertility during economic crises and that child schooling and child survival are adversely affected, mainly in low-income countries, with girls suffering more adverse health effects than boys. These impacts underscore the need for providing income to women in poor countries to help households better cope with the effects of economic shocks.gender, labor, employment, recession, remittances, fertility, infant mortality, schooling, health, economic shocks

Investing in Gender Equality: Looking Ahead

The financial crisis of 2008-09 has highlighted the need for greater attention to gender, both to address the vulnerability of countries to global shocks and to reach growth and poverty reduction goals. Investments in girls and women need to be scaled up substantially in response to this and other recent crises and, looking ahead, to alleviate demographic stresses and harness demographic opportunities for growth. This is the case because the fate of women and girls, especially in low-income countries and low-income households, is closely linked to the economic prospects of these countries and these households.gender, equality, financial crisis, demographic, women, girls, low-income countries, low-income households, growth, shocks, jobs, income

Gender Inequality in Health and Work: The Case of Latin America and the Caribbean

This technical paper reviews existing empirical evidence to track the effects of women's paid work on their own and their children's health in Latin America and the Caribbean. It begins with a brief description of the changing nature of labor markets and women's labor force participation. It then explores women's occupational health risks and mentions some initiatives that seek to respond to these risks. The next part of the report looks at the existing evidence for the positive effects of paid work on women's health and child health. The paper ends with policy recommendations.Women, Diseases, Health Policy, Workforce & Employment, occupational health and safety, women in the work force, women employees

A Roadmap for Promoting Women's Economic Empowerment

This document summarizes findings of 18 research studies commissioned across 4 categories (entrepreneurship, farming, wage employment, young women's employment) to find out what works to empower women, for whom (categories of women), and where (country scenarios). The Roadmap is designed to guide investments from private sector and public-private partnerships, and highlights 9 proven, 9 promising, and 6 high-potential interventions to increase women's productivity and earnings in developing countries

Leaving no one behind : CRVS, Gender and the SDGs

This publication has been carried out with the financial and technical assistance of Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC).French version available in IDRC Digital LibraryGender inequalities contribute to the exclusion of the most disadvantaged women and girls from civil registration and national ID systems, exacerbating these inequalities. Civil registration and identity documents help to redress them by helping protect women and girls against child marriage, securing inheritance rights and fair divorce, and facilitating access to political participation and modern financial services. These benefits enhance the value of CRVS and ID for women when compared to men

Mujeres en la pobreza: Un problema global

Este artículo aborda el tema de la situación extrema en la que se encuentran las mujeres pobres a nivel mundial y el fenómeno de la feminización de la pobreza. Los datos son incompletos, pero las tendencias actuales sugieren que las mujeres representan un porcentaje cada vez mayor de aquellas personas consideradas pobres si se toma como base el ingreso, no sólo en los países industrializados, sino, especialmente, en los países en vías desarrollo