In the past 50 years women's legal status has improved all over the world. But many laws still make it difficult for women to fully participate in economic life whether by getting jobs or starting businesses. Discriminatory rules bar women from certain jobs, restrict access to capital for...

This publication provides a baseline exploration into gender diversity in the Ghanaian boardroom.It examines gender diversity-across sectors, ownership types, legal status, listing status, and anumber of organizational and board-level characteristics- to provide empirical evidence to guidethe...

There is a strong business case for attracting and retaining more women in the financial sector from the board to the workforce. Women contribute to enhanced profitability, innovation, and risk management. Over the course of two decades, numerous studies have been undertaken by investors,...

This document reflects the significant expansion of IFC's gender work, ranging from innovative research, new product development, broadened private sector advisory solutions, increased gender-lens investments, and robust partnerships. This expansion was fueled by a clear business case that...

Increasing women's participation on corporate boards and in senior management is among the crucial requirements of companies all around the world. IFC is no exception. The authors have seen for ourselves the positive results from greater diversity in corporate leadership. Stated simply, gender...

Nigeria is the largest economy in Africa, and it is projected to have the fifth largest population in the world by 2026. The gender gap is particularly acute in Nigeria, and three market failures stand out: (1) a persistent gender gap at the company leadership level; (2) lack of access to...

This report makes the case for greater gender diversity on Sri Lanka's corporate boards and in senior management by highlighting the value propositions of such diversity for companies, communities, and ultimately the country. Diversity is about more than just gender, ethnicity, or religion....

Economic growth is more robust and sustainable when women and men alike participate fully in the labor market. Better jobs for women, employment that leads to higher wages and greater decision-making, also have a positive influence on the ways households spend money on children s nutrition,...

Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are vital to Vietnam's economic growth, accounting for more than 98 percent of all business, 40 percent of Gross domestic product (GDP), and 50 percent of total employment. The number of SMEs grew by around 100,000 in 2016, encouraged in part by increased...

The overall objective of this study is to learn about the results of the International Finance Corporation (IFC) 'Banking on Women Program' (BoW) in Europe, Central Asia and the Middle East (EMENA). Established in 2010, IFC's 'Banking on Women Program' uses IFC's investment capital to help...