Advancing Women’s Economic Empowerment
Globally, the female labour force participation rate stands at 47%, significantly lower than the 72% rate for men. In many developing countries, this gender gap is even more pronounced, highlighting the urgent need for initiatives like the Women’s Economic Empowerment Network.
In line with the United Nations’ vision, women’s economic empowerment involves enabling women to equally participate in the workforce, access markets, control resources, and engage in meaningful economic decision-making. The Women’s Economic Empowerment network aims to galvanize researchers and practitioners by fostering a collaborative learning network focused on this critical issue.
With ten organisations represented, this event served as a first meeting, aiming to identify existing research and practical experiences that attendees wished to explore further. An overview of the current understanding and measurement of women’s economic empowerment was presented, highlighting both the importance and the complexity of this issue.
By building a community committed to increasing women’s economic empowerment, we can collectively address gender disparities and foster meaningful change.
The event was organised by CMI researchers Researchers Viola Asri and Charlotte Ringdal, working to present and identify current knowledge gaps. Findings from ongoing research projects were also presented, offering valuable data and fresh perspectives. These insights served as a foundation for subsequent group work, where participants discussed the main lessons learnt from their own work on women’s economic empowerment, as well as areas they want to learn more about in the network, and how a digital platform could facilitate exchange inside the network.
Participants summarized their discussions and highlighted key takeaways, underscoring the collaborative spirit of the event and showcasing diverse ideas for future network meetings.
This event, part of the Development Learning Lab’s (DLL) efforts, is a step towards creating a participant-driven network dedicated to collaboration and knowledge sharing.
By building a community committed to increasing women’s economic empowerment, we can collectively contribute to addressing these disparities more effectively and foster meaningful change.