The report focuses on sectoral choice as one of the contributors to the gender gap in firm performance. It explores the difference in profits among female entrepreneurs who cross over into male-dominated sectors (MDS) compared to those who remain in traditionally female-concentrated sectors...

Central America lags the rest of Latin America in outcomes related to women. The countries of Central America (Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and Panama) have taken important steps toward increasing the inclusion of women and improving their social and economic...

Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest rate of entrepreneurship in the world, with approximately 42 percent of the non-agricultural labor force classified as self-employed or employers. Yet most entrepreneurs are unable to grow their businesses beyond small-scale subsistence operations, impeding...

The study aims to understand the constraints to women's equal participation in the roads sector inMalawi to inform the development of interventions to promote gender equality in the sector. The study adopts a career cycle approach that allows to identify and describe the barriers to career...

Reducing gender inequality makes economic sense apart from being the right thing to do. Achieving gender equality and empowering all women and girls is the fifth sustainable development goal and is a top priority for governments. Countries can achieve this goal if they take appropriate steps....

Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) are vital to the economic and social prosperity of countries. Yet, women and girls continue to be underrepresented in STEM careers, although there is wide variation among countries and across STEM fields. Beyond income disadvantages for...

There is a strong business and economic case for increasing women's representation in companies' leadership, globally, and especially in Africa. In 2019, the International Labor Organization (ILO) conducted a worldwide survey on the impact of gender diversity initiatives on 13,000 enterprises....

As gender equity becomes more central to social and economic development, practitioners are increasingly focused on women and girls' empowerment as a sustainable way to enhance well-being and close gender gaps. The operational approach to women and girls' empowerment can guide practitioners in...

This paper aims to answer two important questions: how traditional CDD livelihood projects can adjust or adopt practices to strengthen women's economic empowerment outcomes, and how government and other development actors can employ an ecosystem approach to develop coordinated and sustainable...