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CEP template 2012

Women’s economic empowerment: Approaches, strategies and alliances Pursuing women’s empowerment Emerging from grass-roots efforts at mobilisation and raising the voices of the marginalised, empowerment – specifically women’s empowerment – has long been pursued by NGOs and CSOs as a process linked to organising for social justice, emancipation and rights (Baden, 2014). Women’s empowerment is linked to improved development outcomes and is seen as a driver for change. In more recent years, and particularly since the 1990s, the economic dimension of women’s empowerment has become increasingly visible, with an observable presence in international policy discourses such as the Beijing Platform for Action (which emphasises the promotion of women’s economic independence), the Millennium Development Goals (which use women’s share of non-agricultural employment as an indicator of empowerment) and the Convention for the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (which advocates for ‘equal access to opportunities through employment or self-employment’). In 2006 the World Bank was among the first to offer a more specific and explicit elucidation of the economic element of empowerment, stating: ‘Economic empowerment is about making markets work for women … and empowering women to compete in markets’ (World Bank, 2006). Not only is the economic empowerment of women about achieving gender equality and recognition of human rights, but it is also a driver of broader economic (and pro-poor) growth (Golla et al., 2011). Research indicates that when the number of women in paid employment increases, economies grow; that companies with the greatest female representation in management deliver a return to shareholders that is 34 per cent higher than companies with the lowest representation; and that when the share of household income controlled by women is increased, the amount of spending beneficial to children increases (UN Women, 2012). One fact makes evident women’s potential to contribute in positive ways: ‘Women do 66 per cent of the world’s work but earn only ten per cent of the world’s income, yet they reinvest 90 per cent of their income into family and community’ (Coca-Cola, 2013). Furthermore, as an economy grows, poverty decreases and there is an inherently ‘propoor’ bias, which, given that women often occupy the most disadvantaged and vulnerable positions across communities, drives women’s empowerment (Golla et al., 2011). Schemes and interventions Donors and multilaterals have tended towards interventions that support women’s economic empowerment through micro-finance schemes and support for female entrepreneurs. More recently, private sector actors have launched global efforts to support women’s economic empowerment, albeit with arguably different motivations arising from the perceived value of women being an ‘untapped market of consumers’. The Third Billion Campaign highlights this, indicating the potential impact on the global economy of women’s inclusion in the ‘economic mainstream’ as Commonwealth Governance Handbook 2014/15 89 Lilli Loveday, Mokoro Figure 1: Women’s economic empowerment Resources Project example: Literacy training provides a personal resource that boosts women’s agency Project example: Micro-credit removes constraints to the financial resources that may allow women to advance economically Norms and institutions Project example: Community campaigns change social institutions (norms) that present barriers to women’s agency Project example: Market-based approaches change how market actors and institutions treat women, and allow for their economic advancement Economic advancement Women’s economic empowerment Power and agency Source: Golla et al., 2011.


CEP template 2012
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