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DFID’s approach to promoting women’s economic empowerment. International Parliamentary Conference on Gender and Politics Thursday 8th November 2012 Lindi Hlanze, Economic Adviser, DFID. Why is women’s economic empowerment important?.
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DFID’s approach to promoting women’s economic empowerment International Parliamentary Conference on Gender and Politics Thursday 8th November 2012 Lindi Hlanze, Economic Adviser, DFID
Why is women’s economic empowerment important? • It matters for women and girls – contributing to their broader empowerment, agency and voice, and to better welfare outcomes for them, their households and their wider communities. • It also matters for economic growth – for example, through its impacts on firm performance, agricultural productivity and generation of tax revenues. • There are multiple barriers to women accessing resources and opportunities - underinvestment in women’s health and education, discriminatory cultural and social norms and formal or customary laws and regulations, unequal access to resources, knowledge, information, networks and markets, informality and workplace discrimination and exploitation.
DFID context DFID’s Business Plan 2011-15: “Recognise the role of women in development and promote gender equality” • One of 6 Ministerial priorities • Critical to delivering the Millennium Development Goals DFID’s working definition of economic empowerment: Economic empowerment is a process that increases people’s access to and control over economic resources and opportunities
DFID’s Strategic Vision For Girls And Women Vision Stop poverty before it starts. Transform societies. Mission Invest now in girls and women to multiply our impact. The earlier the better. Prevent Violence Against Girls and Women Delay First Pregnancy and Support Safe Childbirth Economic Assets direct to Girls and Women Get Girls through Secondary School Enabling Environment Build effective legal frameworks to protect girls' and women’s rights + increase the value given to girls and women by society enable women’s participation in politics +sustain political commitment to services and opportunities for girls and women
Get economic assets directly to girls and women Economic empowerment is about more than just assets! Women’s rights and access to human, social and natural capital are critical and complementary.
Research and evidence • Private Enterprise Development in Low Income Countries (PEDL) – Centre for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)/DFID research • Maximise opportunities for gender-related proposals and gender-disaggregated data particularly under “Dynamics of MSMEs: information & entrepreneurship” theme • Growth and labour markets in developing countries – IZA (Institute for the Study of Labor)/DFID research • Gender theme to explore trends, determinants and consequences of female labour participation in LICs, and to identify interventions to support women to enter more productive sectors and increase their earnings potential • Country specific examples • Gender in Nigeria report 2012: www.dfid.gov.uk/Documents/publications1/Gender-Nigeria2012.pdf • Livelihoods, basic services and social protection in Democratic Republic of the Congo: http://www.odi.org.uk/resources/docs/7717.pdf
Thank you! Lindi Hlanze Economic Adviser (economic empowerment of women and girls) l-hlanze@dfid.gov.uk