Can One Billion Women Become Economically Empowered by 2030?
Dr. Cynthia L. Drakeman is the founding CEO of DoubleXEconomy, LLC, one of the world’s leading research and consulting firms focused on enhancing women’s economic empowerment. Cindy was the lead author of the second report for the UN Secretary General’s High-Level Panel on Women’s Economic Empowerment. Cindy will be a featured speaker at the Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) Forum.Explore >>
Blog originally posted on the CGAP Microfinance Gateway Blog
Shifting Social Norms at Scale: Insights from the Practitioners’ Learning Group
The role of social norms change in economically empowering women was a hot topic at the SEEP Women’s Economic Empowerment Global Learning Forum earlier this year. Read More >>
Blog originally posted on the Oxfam Blog
Measuring Social Norms on WEE Programmes: Lessons from Itad’s Work in Gender Equality
The role of social norms change in economically empowering women was a hot topic at the SEEP Women’s Economic Empowerment Global Learning Forum earlier this year. Learn More >>
Blog originally posted on the Itad Blog
Trends on WEE: Addressing Systemic Barriers, the New World of Work and Evidence of Impact
The recent WEE Global Learning Forum was a unique opportunity to explore the trends on WEE and to learn from innovative initiatives implemented by development actors. This article gives some insights on our take-aways from the event! Explore >>
Blog originally posted on the Oxfam Blog
From Work Planning to Work: Advancing the Agenda on Women’s Financial Inclusion Together
There is consensus among the development community that women trail men when it comes to formal financial inclusion. There is also a consensus that this is a violation of their rights, and that it has a negative economic impact. But how do we work to change this in an effective and coordinated manner? Read More >>
Blog by Anna Mecagni, Women for Women International, Catherine Highet, FHI360, and Shelley Spencer, Strategic Impact Advisors
Challenges & Opportunities for Women’s Economic Empowerment in Agriculture
Over the past several years, there has been increasing evidence regarding the importance of women’s economic participation, both for the advancement of women’s rights and gender equality, as well as for the economic well-being of families, communities, sectors and nations. As Global Programme Manager of SNV’s Enhancing Opportunities for Women’s Enterprises (EOWE) programme, funded by the Dutch government as part of the Funding Leadership and Opportunities for Women (FLOW) funding stream, I participated in the Women’s Economic Empowerment Global Learning Forum (WEE Forum) organised by the SEEP Network from 23-25 May 2017 in Bangkok. Learn More >>
Blog originally posted on the SNV Blog
To Bring On Partners, Know Your Pitch
Relationship-building is easy to overlook but is often crucial to a project’s success. Nicole Kresse shares four tips from a project with a 100 percent success rate at signing on partners. Explore >>
Blog by Nicole Kresse, Chemonics
From Burden to Boon: Accounting for Care and its Links to Women’s Economic Empowerment
Unleashing women’s economic potential calls for changes in how care work is valued and distributed within households and workplaces, as well as shared between men and women. The 2017 WEE Global Learning Forum aims to bring visibility to care work through an Oxford-style debate and two Peer Learning Sessions organized by the Growth and Economic Opportunities for Women (GrOW) Program. Learn More >>
Blog by Alejandra Vargas Garcia, International Development Research Centre
Why Greater Financial Inclusion for Africa’s Women is Smart Policymaking
Imagine that you are unable to open a bank account or access a loan without the approval of a male relative… just because you are a woman. Across the African continent, women entrepreneurs are constrained by gender-specific factors influencing their choices and often hindering the growth of their businesses. Understanding why women make different business decisions than men is key to developing effective policies and interventions towards improving their performance. Getting these policies right could lead to enhanced economic productivity and improve development outcomes for generations to come. World Bank Group researchers and project teams (us!) are working together to identify the constraints women face and solutions to address these constraints. Read More >>
Blog by Rachel Coleman, World Bank Group, Tazeen Hasan, World Bank Group, and Anca Bogdana Rusu, International Finance Corporation
Working with the Private Sector to Promote Women’s Empowerment
“I was confident in setting up my poultry farm as an entrepreneur and now want to create employment opportunities for others. I love having my own new business that brings financial comfort to my family, and I am now full of courage and hope.”
Morzina Begum, Feed the Future Bangladesh Women’s Empowerment Activity (WEA) participant and new poultry farmer. Explore >>
Blog by Charlotte Friar, Winrock International
Why is a Nutritionist Presenting at #WEEForum2017? Uncovering the Link Between Gender and Nutrition
Browsing through the list of panelists presenting at the upcoming WEE Global Learning Forum in Bangkok, I realize that my profile would be a perfect fit for the game “pick who doesn’t belong.” I am a nutritionist – and apart from being a woman, I would not dare claim to be a gender expert. So, what am I doing chairing a learning session at the WEE Forum? Learn More >>
Blog by Hannah Guedenet, Agribusiness Systems International
Addressing Non-Market Constraints For Sustained WEE – A Theory Of Change
In her opening keynote to the WEE Global Learning Forum, Prof. Naila Kabeer, Professor of Gender and Development at the Gender Institute of the London School of Economics, presented a theory of change for sustainable women’s economic empowerment.
In this short interview, Prof. Naila Kabeer explains how this theory of change should address structural barriers, and provides some insights on how to translate this into a programmatic approach. Read More >>
Blog originally posted on the Oxfam Blog
#WEEForumchat – Unpaid Care Work
Organised in the build up to the WEE Global Learning Forum in Bangkok on May 23-25 hosted by the SEEP Network and coordinated by Banyan Global, the Twitter chat addressed multiple themes around WEE, from partnering with businesses, to the use of technological innovation for WEE, through to women’s workforce retention. Explore >>
Blog originally posted on the Oxfam Blog
Live Tweet Chat on Women’s Economic Empowerment
Today, The Asia Foundation joined eight partner organizations for a day-long tweet chat focusing on different aspects of women’s economic empowerment. The robust discussion was in preparation for the upcoming Women’s Economic Empowerment Global Learning Forum on May 23-25 in Bangkok. The Forum, hosted by The SEEP Network and in collaboration with Forum Partners, will bring together leading stakeholders in the field of women’s economic empowerment to facilitate dialogue, build global learning connections, and promote effective policy and practice to address the needs of vulnerable women around the world. Read more >>
Blog originally posted on The Asia Foundation’s Blog
What Will the Next Generation of Microcredit Products for Women Look Like?
In 2006, the Nobel Prize Committee awarded a Nobel Peace Prize to one of the original architects of modern-day microfinance, Professor Muhammad Yunus. What his theory of change perhaps failed to take into account, however, was the enduring influence of social gender norms and how they often play a role in circumventing larger impacts of access to working capital on women’s empowerment. What would it take for the next generation of financial products for women to be gender responsive? Learn more >>
Blog by Rebecca Rouse, IPA
How to Map the Gender Gap in Digital Financial Services Using a Gendered Customer Journey Approach
Over the last few years, digital financial services have spread at an impressive rate, and potentially playing a major role in expanding financial access to vulnerable populations. While there is valuable data on the issue, further research is needed to identify the bottlenecks to women’s adoption and usage of mobile money and why they exist. For this reason, the GSMA developed a framework for the analysis of the mobile money customer journey with a gender lens that can help understand the differences in mobile money adoption and usage between men and women and to identify where women and men are dropping off in the customer journey from registration to active use. Read more >>
Blog by Elisa Minischetti, GSMA
How Can Microfinance Contribute to Women’s Empowerment? An Interview with Naila Kabeer
Naila Kabeer is Professor of Gender and Development at the Gender Institute, London School of Economics and Political Science. She possesses an extensive research experience in gender, poverty, social exclusion, labor markets and livelihoods, social protection and citizenship, and was previously Professor of Development Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at London University. Naila will be the Key Note Speaker at the 2017 Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) Forum, presenting on Women’s Economic vs. Non-Economic Empowerment: Is it a False Dichotomy? Explore >>
Blog originally posted on the CGAP Microfinance Gateway Blog
Financial Inclusion for Adolescent Girls – Strategic Insights from Burundi
Using examples from Burundi, CARE’s POWER Africa (Promoting Opportunities for Women’s Economic Empowerment in Rural Africa) team shares how innovative, community-led conflict resolution creates a foundation for sustainable and inclusive gender equality, contributing to social and financial advancement of the entire community. Learn more >>
Blog by Ruth Orbach, CARE Canada
Understanding Unpaid Care Work: Women’s Empowerment beyond the Paid Economy
The advancement of women’s rights and economic empowerment in market systems contributes to the economic well-being of families, communities, and nations. We are all working towards this goal and agree with the opening statement for the WEE Global Learning Forum 2017. Read more >>
Blog by Mar Maestre, BEAM Exchange/Institute of Development Studies
2017 WEE Global Learning Forum