Gender & women's empowerment

Woman in the farm

Women’s economic resilience and empowerment under income shocks: the role of social gender norms in Malawi

In Malawi, agricultural production is still being disrupted and food insecurity is bein...

Young women, doing hard work

Support the resilience of households for the empowerment of girls and women in light of social norms in rural areas of Benin

Rural homes in Benin are more and more vulnerable to climate-related shocks endangering...

March, 2025

Empowering Women Economically Requires Targeted Policy Action

March 08 | Online | By the Partnership for Economic Policy

Recent PEP-supported research highlights how targeted policies can drive women’s economic empowerment across both formal and informal sectors.

Gender & women's empowerment

Women at the market

Empower Her: Tackle the RUW Crisis in Egypt and Kenya with Smart, Gender-Focused Solutions

The ongoing Russia-Ukraine War (RUW) has revealed significant vulnerabilities in the ec...

A woman walking with her child

Supporting household resilience to empower girls and women in rural Benin

Gender norms in rural Benin significantly affect the economic empowerment of girls and ...

Two Africa toddler playing at daycare

Subsidized childcare can improve women’s employment in Burkina Faso

Gender inequality in Burkina Faso is pronounced, particularly in the labor market, wher...

Two women farming in west Africa

Promoting women’s economic empowerment can catalyse structural transformation in Cameroon

Gender inequality is a key issue in Cameroon. Women have limited access to well-paying ...

Youth participate in a group activity as part of a gender training session

Gender-sensitive training can improve youth’s labour-market outcomes in Kenya

Despite a long history of technical, vocational education, and training (TVET) in Kenya...

Woman with child on her back washing dishes

Macro-level gender-responsive policy solutions can boost women’s economic empowerment in Tanzania

Working women in Tanzania are disproportionately employed in the informal sector where ...

June, 2024

Soft skills boost job prospects and pay for young women in informal sector

By Laura Barasa, Kibrom Abay, Maria Laura Alzua and Phyllis Machio

PEP researchers share how gender-sensitive soft-skills training can improve young women and men's labor market empowerment, and well-being outcomes.

Education & training

Gender & women's empowerment

Labor markets & employment

April, 2024

A local lens to influence policies and increase women’s access to decent work in the Global South

By the Partnership for Economic Policy

Members of PEP project teams share how their local perspectives strengthened their policy analysis and influence during a recent research program into the barriers that women face in accessing decent work.

Gender & women's empowerment

Labor markets & employment

March, 2024

Africa’s Prosperity Depends on Achieving Gender Equality

By Prof. Jane Mariara, PEP Executive Director

Childcare responsibilities significantly impede African women’s ability to realize their full potential, owing to regressive social norms that perpetuate gender disparities.

Gender & women's empowerment

Mother pushing one child in a pushchair and she is carrying another child on her back

Addressing the unequal care burden can help women access decent work in the Philippines

Women in the Philippines participate much less than men in the labour force. When they ...

March, 2024

Regressive social norms disadvantage women wanting to work

By the Partnership for Economic Policy

Findings from recent PEP-supported research programs on how policy can improve women’s empowerment through work in both the formal and informal sectors.

Gender & women's empowerment

Labor markets & employment

February, 2024

Increasing Women’s Access to Decent Work: Precise Policy Action for Gender Equality

By the Partnership for Economic Policy

Findings and policy recommendations from research conducted under the program "Addressing Context-Specific Barriers to Women's Participation in Decent Work".

Gender & women's empowerment

Labor markets & employment

March, 2021

Addressing gender inequalities is essential for the success of COVID-19 recovery policies

By Arjan de Haan, Senior Program Specialist for Sustainable Inclusive Economies at the International Development Research Centre (IDRC)

Research and policy must tackle gender inequalities for sustainable, equitable development, especially in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis.

Gender & women's empowerment

Women in a classroom facing a female teacher

Investing in female education and expanding childcare can increase women’s access to decent work in Senegal

The Senegalese government is actively promoting gender equality through various nationa...

March, 2023

Why Promoting Decent Work Matters More Than Just Any Job for Sri Lankan Women

By PEP Research Fellow Nisha Arunatilake

Gender & women's empowerment

Labor markets & employment

October, 2023

Women bear negative impacts of climate shocks disproportionately

By the Partnership for Economic Policy

The first in a series providing an overview of the findings and policy recommendations of PEP programs.

Gender & women's empowerment

Young Sri Lankan woman working

Increased access to higher education and affordable childcare needed to boost Sri Lankan women’s participation in decent work

Successive Sri Lankan governments have shown commitment to women’s economic empowerment...

Mother asking children to be quiet as she works from home

Expanding childcare and parental leave can promote decent work for Brazilian women

Brazilian women continue to encounter numerous barriers that limit their access to dece...

Woman sells vegetables from a street stall

Education, childcare, and formal sector opportunities are key to promoting decent work for women in Kenya

While Kenya has made good progress in increasing women’s participation in the labour ma...

Peruvian woman standing by a sink wearing an apron and rubber gloves

Tackling gender stereotypes and expanding daycare services likely to help women access decent work in Perú

Despite years of efforts, and some progress, labor inequality between women and men per...

A woman cassava farmer stands on her land in Cameroon holding a tool for clearing the land.

Fertiliser subsidies can mitigate the effects of climate change on food security and rural women’s welfare in Cameroon

Cameroon is one of the most food-insecure countries and the effects of climate change a...

Mariam Ntungu tends to her crops

Climate-smart agriculture technologies bridge the gender productivity gap and improve food security in Tanzania

Climate change has severely affected Tanzania's agricultural sector, resulting in food ...

Malawian farmer with CA plot

Examining gender disparities in the adaptation of climate change mitigation strategies at plot level in Malawi

In Malawi, gender disparities in adopting soil erosion control strategies persist, impa...

Woman plot manager

Policy options for gender-focused crop diversification to mitigate climate shocks on food security in Nigeria

Despite efforts to mitigate the impact of climate shocks on food security, women plot m...

Woman standing in front of crops, wearing green. Looking into the camera.

Burkina Faso: How to reduce the vulnerability of women farmers to the effects of climate change

As the impacts of climate change continue to worsen, female farmers face escalating cha...

Woman cleaning soybeans

Targeting women and building their capacity to increase soybean production yields in Benin

While the yield and total production of Benin’s soybean sector have improved in recent ...

Women farming

Investing strategically to protect women from the effects of climate change in Burkina Faso

Millions of people have been affected by climate shocks in Burkina Faso over the last 5...

Elder woman farmer

Facilitating access to agricultural credit for women's empowerment in Burkina Faso

In 2014, more than 93% of Burkina Faso’s women were working in the agricultural sector,...

Women watering crops

Target women farmers’ structural disadvantages to improve rural productivity and food security in Cameroon

Despite Cameroon’s agricultural sector being dominated by women smallholders, their pro...

Goat herder with goats in Lesotho field

Improving rural women’s coping strategies in the face of floods and droughts in Lesotho

Agriculture is vital to the livelihoods of many people in rural areas of Lesotho, where...

Women sifting cereal

Diversification strategies and well-being of rural women in Senegal

Women in Senegal provide 60% of the agricultural labour force and over 70% of food prod...

Young people in hi-vis and hard hats at a power plant in Senegal

Affirmative action policies: a springboard for youth and women’s employment in Senegal

Unemployment rates among Senegal’s women and young people are much higher than the nati...

Person bent over working the land

Boost growth and gender equality in South Africa through rural development investment

The population of South Africa faces the triple challenges of high levels of inequality...

DRC women farmers

Allocating land to women: An asset for the Congolese economy

Gender inequalities are prevalent in the Congolese labour market and hamper sustainable...

Young women processing soybeans

Promoting biomass energy: A solution to empower rural women in Côte d'Ivoire

Around 75% of women in rural areas of the Côte d’Ivoire live below the poverty line, de...

Woman farming maize

Improving gender equity in Malawi’s input subsidies

Despite making up more than 70% of the agricultural labour force and being central to p...

Woman standing with shelves of preserves and freezers in her food store

Small-scale off-grid energy systems: Improve productivity by increasing women’s access to electricity in rural Nigeria

Less than a quarter of people living in rural areas of Nigeria have access to electrici...

Woman trader selling cowpeas in Nigeria

Increasing women’s access to farm land can improve food security, productivity, and welfare in Nigeria

Nigeria’s agricultural production cannot keep up with the country's population growth, ...

Woman at a computer doing administrative work at a health clinic, another woman in a white coat with a name badge is standing next to her also looking at the computer screen

Wage subsidies can encourage women’s formal employment in Zambia

Improving women’s empowerment is a priority for the Zambian government.

Longer school hours help mothers find better jobs in Chile

Women’s labour force participation (LFP) in Chile has increased significantly in recent...

Free childcare program improves mothers’ employment outcomes in Mongolia

Women’s labor force participation (LFP) in Mongolia is declining, especially in the cap...

Fostering innovation through workplace diversity in Brazil

Discrimination continues to plague the Brazilian labor market. Women earn considerably ...

How a production subsidy can boost Nigeria's renewable energy sector, growth and employment

Despite Nigeria’s status as a major global energy producer, access to electricity is se...

Austerity measures exacerbate labour market gender inequality in Serbia

To address Serbia’s fiscal deficit in 2014, the government introduced austerity measure...

Liberalization, public investment, and women's employment in Senegal

In Senegal, the implementation of the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA) between West...

Highly educated but low paid: Youth in Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia

Youth underemployment is a problem in the Western Balkans. According to the ILO, undere...

Combining credit and training to support micro and small enterprises in Ethiopia

Over the last two decades, the government of Ethiopia has implemented various training ...

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