Globally, women represent about half the world¡¯s population, but only 41 percent of the total formal sector workforce. Trends suggest that gains in women¡¯s labor force participation worldwide over the last few decades have been small and slow, still hovering around 51 percent globally, and as low as 21 percent in the Middle East and North Africa. Moreover, labor force participation rates by themselves mask important differences in how and when women and men participate in the world of work.
Gender gaps persist in terms of the types of jobs that women and men have, how much they are paid, and the extent of unpaid work, with significant regional variation as well. Whether we consider entrepreneurs, employees, or farmers, there are many constraints to women¡¯s work. As a result, interventions can take many different approaches to remove constraints and accelerate women¡¯s ability to participate and succeed in the world of work¡ªincluding in industries and occupations that are dominated by men.
аIJʿª½± Group has long been a leader in innovation and evaluation related to women¡¯s work and earnings. This includes, among many other things, private sector work by the International Finance Corporation to support women in business, and the аIJʿª½±¡¯s work on social protection and labor and in strengthening adolescent girls¡¯ transition from school to work.
Relevant outcomes: income; wages; earnings; consumption; labor force participation; job performance; productivity; firm growth; access to credit, land, savings and property; savings; entrepreneurship; investment
enGENDER IMPACT: Increasing Economic Opportunities
IE Title & Author(s) |
Country |
Gender Outcome(s) |
Intervention Category |
|
Peru |
Consumption, income, use of healthcare services, child labor, school enrollment, school attendance |
Cash Transfer |
|
Kenya |
Reproductive Health, school attendance, labor force participation, nutrition |
Antiretroviral Treatment |
|
Ecuador |
Nutrition, intrahousehold bargaining, consumption |
Cash Transfer |
|
Sri Lanka |
Women's labor force participation, productivity, access to credit |
Cash Transfer |
|
Argentina |
Female labor force participation, wages |
Cash Transfer, Training |
|
Uganda |
Gender disaggregated earnings, savings, consumption, psychological agency, domestic violence |
Cash Transfer |
|
Sri Lanka |
Women's vocational knowledge and skills, job performance, property, access to credit, earnings |
Training |
|
Mexico |
Gender disaggregated school enrollment, child labor |
Cash Transfer |
|
Nicaragua |
Children's Nutrition, access to healthcare, cognitive skills, non-cognitive skills, Women's labor force participation, psychological agency |
Cash Transfer |
|
Indonesia |
Gender disaggregated nutrition, psychological agency, labor force participation, productivity |
Iron Supplements |
|
Nicaragua |
Women's Aspirations, motivation, school attendance, income, property |
Cash Transfer |
|
Georgia |
Female labor force participation, school enrollment, school attendance, health risks |
Infrastructure Projects |
|
China |
Gender disaggregated income, aspirations |
Collective Action |
|
Indonesia |
Income, participation and voice in the community |
Community Driven Development |
|
Liberia |
Participation and voice in community, income |
Community Driven Development |
|
Mexico |
Gender disaggregated labor force participation, income |
Cash Transfer |
|
Nicaragua |
Gender disaggregated consumption, labor force participation |
Cash Transfer |
|
Uganda |
Vocational knowledge or skills, labor force participation, productivity, participation or voice in community |
Cash Transfer |
|
Nicaragua |
Female income, labor force participation, wages, access to credit |
Training, Cash Transfer |
|
Pakistan |
Gender disaggregated access to credit, psychological agency |
Microfinance, information intervention |
|
Senegal |
Health of women, nutrition, consumption, participation or having a voice in the community |
Community Driven Development |
|
Bangladesh |
Female school attendance, school enrollment |
Factories |
|
Bolivia |
Gender disaggregated productivity |
Firm Formalization |
|
India |
Productivity of male family members |
Business Training |
|
Cote d'Ivoire |
Gender disaggregated productivity |
Vocational Training |
|
Uganda |
Gender disaggregated income, consumption, labor force participation, participation or voice in community, psychological agency |
Cash Transfer |
|
Peru |
Property, labor force participation |
Land Titling |
|
Tunisia |
Gender disaggregated outcomes: entrepreneurship, labor force participation, vocational knowledge or skills, access to credit, aspirations, non-cognitive skills |
Training |
|
Rwanda |
Women's property, investment |
Land Rights |
|
Argentina |
Gender disaggregated income |
Cash Transfer |
|
Nigeria |
Property, productivity, participation or voice in community |
Agricultural Development |
|
Brazil |
Consumption, intrahousehold decision-making |
Cash Transfer |
|
India |
Savings, access to credit, intrahousehold decision making |
Community Development |
|
Philippines |
Women's access to credit |
Microfinance |
|
South Africa |
Gender disaggregated access to credit, savings |
Information Intervention |
|
Nepal |
Participation or voice in the community, consumption |
Community Driven Development |
|
Philippines |
Gender disaggregated outcomes: School attainment, wages, migration |
Education |
|
Ethiopia |
Women's owned property, investment |
Land Titling |
|
Uganda |
Gender disaggregated nutrition, income |
Early Childhood Development, Deworming |
|
Malawi |
Gender disaggregated access to credit |
Credit and insurance |
|
Mexico |
Investment, consumption |
Cash Transfer |
|
Jamaica |
Gender disaggregated income, labor force participation, school attainment, cognitive skills, non-cognitive skills |
Preschool |
|
India |
Female labor force participation, intrahousehold bargaining, participation or voice in community |
Community Development |
|
Sri Lanka |
Productivity, intrahousehold decision making |
Cash Transfer |
|
Indonesia |
Gender disaggregated access to credit, savings |
Training |
|
Liberia |
Labor force participation, participation or voice in the community |
Training |
|
Sri Lanka |
Gender disaggregated productivity |
Cash Transfer |
|
Argentina |
Female labor force participation, income |
Cash Transfer |
|
Jordan |
Female labor force participation, non-cognitive skills, aspirations, psychological agency |
Training, Cash Transfer |
|
Philippines |
Gender Disaggregated: consumption, access to healthcare, property, savings, school performance, intrahousehold bargaining |
Migration Permits |
|
Kenya |
Reproductive health, female labor force participation |
Antiretroviral Treatment |
|
Colombia |
Consumption, nutrition after transfers to a female |
Cash Transfer |
|
Brazil |
Women's labor force participation |
Preschool |
|
Ethiopia |
Gender disaggregated nutrition, access to credit, employment |
Cash Transfers |
|
Chile |
Gender disaggregated labor force participation, psychological agency |
Social Support |
|
Mexico |
Gender disaggregated productivity, consumption |
Cash Transfer |
|
Tonga |
Gender disaggregated income, property, nutrition, labor force participation |
Migration |
|
Bangladesh |
Gender disaggregated labor force participation, school attendance |
Infrastructure |
|
Pakistan |
Gender norms, labor force participation |
Cash Transfer |
|
Vietnam |
Gender disaggregated income, investment, labor force participation, intrahousehold bargaining |
Land Titling |
|
Kenya |
Gender disaggregated vocational training, gender norms |
Training |
|
Vietnam |
Gender disaggregated school attendance, gender disaggregated property |
Infrastructure |
|
South Africa |
Gender disaggregated access to credit |
Microfinance |
|
Ghana |
Gender disaggregated productivity, consumption |
Cash Transfer |
|
Indonesia |
Female vocational knowledge or skills, access to credit |
Training |
|
Mexico |
Access to credit, savings |
Financial Literacy Training |
|
India |
Women's owned property, gender disaggregated school attainment |
Legal Reform |
