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Gender

Image - UN Women
Gender parity in economy and employment is critical for economic growth and societal cohesion. The World Economic Forum estimates that at the current rate of progress, it will take 267.6 years to close the economic gender gap. The World Bank calculates that the gender pay gap costs the global economy USD 160 trillion, and that countries are losing 14% of their wealth, on average, simply because of gender inequality.
Working Aids
SDC
[313 kB]
This SDC guidance sheet outlines key gender issues regarding women’s
economic empowerment in MSD and how these can be integrated in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of cooperation strategies and project interventions. Some existing familiarity with MSD terminology is assumed.
SDC
[6 MB]
This guidance sheet outlines key issues, analytical framework and good practices for mainstreaming socially inclusive and gender responsive budgeting (SIB/GRB) into the design of SDC's programmes and project interventions. The guidance sheet was made by SDC's Gender Equality Network and the Democratization, Decentralization and Local governance Network (DDLGN).
Case Studies
Human Resource Development Centre
[775 kB]
Women often face difficulties in accessing the labour market due a variety of reasons such as lack of education, poor economic condition, family and household responsibilities, limited technical skills, social reasons, etc. In order to break such barriers and to increase the participation of women in the labour market, Employment Fund aims to attract specifically women in its training programme. The wealth of lessons learned and experiences of this process of Employment Fund need to be compiled and documented. This will facilitate in getting a better picture about contribution and impact of EF skills training in the lives of women graduates (between the ages of 16 to 40). This includes young girls supported under Adolescent Girls Employment Initiatives (AGEI/The World Bank)
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UN - Policy Brief - The Impact of COVID-19 on Women
UN - Policy Brief - The Impact of COVID-19 on Women
This policy brief focuses on key issues, exploring how women and girls’ lives are changing in the face of COVID-19, and outlining suggested priority measures to accompany both the immediate response and longer-term recovery effort
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2020
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The Broker
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The Broker - Gender lens on the social change industry - 2014
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2014
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Katalyst
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SDC - Technical Note - Katalyst - Applying a Gender Lens to Katalyst Market Development Activities - 2006 (en)
SDC - Technical Note - Katalyst - Applying a Gender Lens to Katalyst Market Development Activities - 2006 (en)
This case study provides an overview of the position of women in Bangladesh, findings from the research regarding the sexual division of labour in vegetable and maize production, how information on input supplies is being disseminated to male and female farmers, how women are involved in maize production and how they participate in maize production with this leading firm. It also provides an overview of what the approaches are to market development and what gender is within the development context and lays out some recommendations for Katalyst to take forward in their market development work
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2006
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Relevant News
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19 Dec 2022
Podcast Empower! – New episode on how weaving empowers women and preserves cultural heritage in Myanmar
Podcast Empower! – New episode on how weaving empowers women and preserves cultural heritage in Myanmar
Podcast Empower! – New episode on how weaving empowers women and preserves cultural heritage in Myanmar In this episode, Nathalie Paarlberg talks about Turquoise Mountain and the work they do with women weavers in Myanmar. Myanmar has a long artisanal tradition of weaving, and Turquoise Mountain ensures that the weavings are spread throughout the world. The organization not only helps female weavers earn an income, but also encourages them to pass on an ancient tradition with special fabrics like silk to the next generation, preserving one of Myanmar's cultural assets. Find all podcasts >> here
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18 Aug 2022
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13 Apr 2022
Empower! – New episodes: Podcast series on Women's Economic Empowerment (WEE) by IED and Gendernet
Empower! – New episodes: Podcast series on Women's Economic Empowerment (WEE) by IED and Gendernet
Listen to the stories of our colleagues on how they advance Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) in their IED projects and programmes, in this ongoing podcast-series. Find the podcasts >> here Ep. 5: Privilege & prjeudice: How to address them for a more just society and women entrepreneurship Ep. 4: Impact, leadership and business support to women in Colombia Ep. 3: Using ancestral and scientific knowledge to empower rural women in Peru for sustainable tourism. Ep. 2: Better boxes for fruit vendors - a solution that is improving women economic empowerment! Ep. 1: How to ensure gender equality in call for proposal formulation and selection
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07 Sep 2021
Empower! Podcast series on Women's Economic Empowerment (WEE) by IED and Gendernet
Empower! Podcast series on Women's Economic Empowerment (WEE) by IED and Gendernet
Listen to your colleagues’ stories on how they advance Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) in their IED projects and programmes, in this ongoing podcast-series. Find the podcasts >> here Ep. 1: How to ensure gender equality in call for proposal formulation and selection Ep. 2: Better boxes for fruit vendors - a solution that is improving women economic empowerment! Ep. 3: Using ancestral and scientific knowledge to empower rural women in Peru for sustainable tourism. Ep. 4: Impact, leadership and business support to women in Colombia
 19 December 2022
Podcast Empower! – New episode on how weaving empowers women and preserves cultural heritage in Myanmar In this episode, Nathalie Paarlberg talks about Turquoise Mountain and the work they do with women weavers in Myanmar. Myanmar has a long artisanal tradition of weaving, and Turquoise Mountain ensures that the weavings are spread throughout the world. The organization not only helps female weavers earn an income, but also encourages them to pass on an ancient tradition with special fabrics like silk to the next generation, preserving one of Myanmar's cultural assets. Find all podcasts >> here
 18 August 2022
Two new episodes are out now: Ep. 6: Gender Transformative Approach: changing attitudes towards women's role and responsbilities Ep. 7: Artisanal embroidery - empowering refugee women one stich at a time Find the podcasts >> here
 13 April 2022
Listen to the stories of our colleagues on how they advance Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) in their IED projects and programmes, in this ongoing podcast-series. Find the podcasts >> here Ep. 5: Privilege & prjeudice: How to address them for a more just society and women entrepreneurship Ep. 4: Impact, leadership and business support to women in Colombia Ep. 3: Using ancestral and scientific knowledge to empower rural women in Peru for sustainable tourism. Ep. 2: Better boxes for fruit vendors - a solution that is improving women economic empowerment! Ep. 1: How to ensure gender equality in call for proposal formulation and selection
 07 September 2021
Listen to your colleagues’ stories on how they advance Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) in their IED projects and programmes, in this ongoing podcast-series. Find the podcasts >> here Ep. 1: How to ensure gender equality in call for proposal formulation and selection Ep. 2: Better boxes for fruit vendors - a solution that is improving women economic empowerment! Ep. 3: Using ancestral and scientific knowledge to empower rural women in Peru for sustainable tourism. Ep. 4: Impact, leadership and business support to women in Colombia
Relevant Events
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28 Sep 2021
Deconstructing the Monolith: Segmentation of Women Clients: Lessons from Access Bank Nigeria and KIT Royal Tropical Institute
Deconstructing the Monolith: Segmentation of Women Clients: Lessons from Access Bank Nigeria and KIT Royal Tropical Institute
(time: 9-9.45 am EDT/ 3-3.45 pm Swiss Time) The path to women's financial inclusion has been made difficult by the persistent, but often misguided idea that women tend to have uniform wants and needs. However, women are not a monolith and meeting their financial needs requires developing a nuanced understanding of their preferences and behaviors, which are shaped by age, life stage, location, and contexts, among many other factors.
Join us on September 22 and September 28 for our deep dive conversations with two leading Financial Service Providers that are using innovative ways to respond to women's differentiated needs and preferences as a key to growing their market share and achieving business goals. Access Bank – one of the largest commercial banks in Africa, recognized the potential growth opportunity of the women’s market fifteen years ago and in 2014 formalized this focus through their signature W- Initiative. Using rigorous market research across Nigeria, Access Bank identified three distinct priority segments of women and created specialized customer value propositions that included adapting existing products along with tailored non-financial services. This conversation will be an opportunity to pull back the curtain on why Access Bank choose to focus on the women’s market and how they developed and rolled out the W initiative in their quest for becoming the bank of choice for women in the markets they serve. >> more
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22 Sep 2021
Deconstructing the Monolith: Segmentation of Women Clients: VP Bank Vietnam and CARE Ignite
Deconstructing the Monolith: Segmentation of Women Clients: VP Bank Vietnam and CARE Ignite
(time: 8-8.45 am EDT/ 2-2.45 pm Swiss Time) The path to women's financial inclusion has been made difficult by the persistent, but often misguided idea that women tend to have uniform wants and needs. However, women are not a monolith and meeting their financial needs requires developing a nuanced understanding of their preferences and behaviors, which are shaped by age, life stage, location, and contexts, among many other factors.
Join us on September 22 and September 28 for our deep dive conversations with two leading Financial Service Providers that are using innovative ways to respond to women's differentiated needs and preferences as a key to growing their market share and achieving business goals. In 2018 VP Bank Vietnam became the first Vietnamese bank to adopt a strategy specifically designed for women-owned SME’s. Women make up 25% of VP Bank's current portfolio with innovations such as the SME dashboard, specialized credit card and bundled insurance. In 2019, VP Bank entered into a partnership with CARE to support further outreach to women owned MSME’s by facilitating access to tailored financial products, alternative digital lending channels and a range of non-financial services (training, mentoring, digital capabilities, networks) to improve their business health >> more
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02 Jun 2020
Online
Virtual Roundtable Discussion: Women's Economic Empowerment in the Time of COVID-19
Virtual Roundtable Discussion: Women's Economic Empowerment in the Time of COVID-19
The Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) Working Group and FinEquity are delighted to cohost a 90-minute virtual roundtable discussion on COVID-19 and Women’s Economic Empowerment, with a focus on employment and entrepreneurship. The discussion will explore the impact of COVID-19 in these areas of women’s economic empowerment and how projects and organizations are responding to these challenges in practical ways. The virtual roundtable will serve as an opportunity for members to share actionable insights that can inform the work of others in this space. See here for more information.
28 Sep 2021
28 September 2021
28 September 2021
28 September
(time: 9-9.45 am EDT/ 3-3.45 pm Swiss Time) The path to women's financial inclusion has been made difficult by the persistent, but often misguided idea that women tend to have uniform wants and needs. However, women are not a monolith and meeting their financial needs requires developing a nuanced understanding of their preferences and behaviors, which are shaped by age, life stage, location, and contexts, among many other factors.
Join us on September 22 and September 28 for our deep dive conversations with two leading Financial Service Providers that are using innovative ways to respond to women's differentiated needs and preferences as a key to growing their market share and achieving business goals. Access Bank – one of the largest commercial banks in Africa, recognized the potential growth opportunity of the women’s market fifteen years ago and in 2014 formalized this focus through their signature W- Initiative. Using rigorous market research across Nigeria, Access Bank identified three distinct priority segments of women and created specialized customer value propositions that included adapting existing products along with tailored non-financial services. This conversation will be an opportunity to pull back the curtain on why Access Bank choose to focus on the women’s market and how they developed and rolled out the W initiative in their quest for becoming the bank of choice for women in the markets they serve. >> more
22 Sep 2021
22 September 2021
22 September 2021
22 September
(time: 8-8.45 am EDT/ 2-2.45 pm Swiss Time) The path to women's financial inclusion has been made difficult by the persistent, but often misguided idea that women tend to have uniform wants and needs. However, women are not a monolith and meeting their financial needs requires developing a nuanced understanding of their preferences and behaviors, which are shaped by age, life stage, location, and contexts, among many other factors.
Join us on September 22 and September 28 for our deep dive conversations with two leading Financial Service Providers that are using innovative ways to respond to women's differentiated needs and preferences as a key to growing their market share and achieving business goals. In 2018 VP Bank Vietnam became the first Vietnamese bank to adopt a strategy specifically designed for women-owned SME’s. Women make up 25% of VP Bank's current portfolio with innovations such as the SME dashboard, specialized credit card and bundled insurance. In 2019, VP Bank entered into a partnership with CARE to support further outreach to women owned MSME’s by facilitating access to tailored financial products, alternative digital lending channels and a range of non-financial services (training, mentoring, digital capabilities, networks) to improve their business health >> more
02 Jun 2020 in Online
02 June 2020
02 June 2020
in Online
02 June in Online
The Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) Working Group and FinEquity are delighted to cohost a 90-minute virtual roundtable discussion on COVID-19 and Women’s Economic Empowerment, with a focus on employment and entrepreneurship. The discussion will explore the impact of COVID-19 in these areas of women’s economic empowerment and how projects and organizations are responding to these challenges in practical ways. The virtual roundtable will serve as an opportunity for members to share actionable insights that can inform the work of others in this space. See here for more information.
Relevant Pages
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Women's economic empowerment (WEE)
Women's economic empowerment (WEE)
Promoting gender equality and empowering women remain among the greatest challenges and a priority for all development partners. Women's economic empowerment (WEE) and their access to markets and services are widely recognised as being essential to economic growth and poverty reduction. SDC's Economy network and Gender network have taken the opportunity to revisit the topic of WEE, focusing on the growing experience of Making Markets Work for the Poor (M4P)/Market System Development projects. On this page you will find key and relevant documents, as well as references to important webpages and events on gender.
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Gender Lens Investing
Gender Lens Investing

Copyright: Helvetas Gender Lens Investing (GLI), also known as Gender Smart Investing, is the deliberate integration of gender analysis, investment analysis and decision making, where investments are made in more women- owned or led enterprises and/or investments are made in enterprises that promote gender equality at the workplace, as well as in products or services that substantially improve the lives of women and girls, building strong, resilient economies of the future. (Source: UNIDO)
Since SDG 5 on gender equality and women’s empowerment is one of the most underfinanced Sustainable Development Goals, the SDC seeks to further strengthen its profile on gender lens investing by promoting innovative approaches in gender financing. ![]()
In 2022, the SDC Gender Team launched a partnership with the organisation GenderSmart to advance the topic of GLI.
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Women’s Financial Inclusion
Women’s Financial Inclusion
Women’s Financial Inclusion is about providing low-income women with effective and affordable financial tools to save and borrow money, make and receive payments, and manage risk for both women’s empowerment and poverty reduction. Increasing women’s financial inclusion is especially important as women disproportionately experience poverty, stemming from unequal divisions of labour and a lack of control over economic resources.
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GIIN - Gender Lens Investing
GIIN - Gender Lens Investing
The GIIN’s Gender Lens Investing Initiative supported impact investors, actively integrating, or interested in integrating, a gender lens strategy into their investment portfolio.Gender Lens Investing (GLI) is a strategy or approach to investing that takes into consideration gender-based factors across the investment process to advance gender equality and better inform investment decisions. The GIIN has done, and continues to do, extensive work geared towards supporting investors to implement a gender lens investing.
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ILO
ILO Gender and Development
ILO Gender and Development
Gender equality is considered a critical element in achieving Decent Work for All Women and Men, in order to effect social and institutional change that leads to sustainable development with equity and growth. Gender equality refers to equal rights, responsibilities and opportunities that all persons should enjoy, regardless of whether one is born male or female.
2018
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SDC
2018
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