Business Environment Reform and Gender

Gender-sensitive reform of the complex policy, legal, institutional, and regulatory conditions that govern business activities has the potential to positively impact women’s economic empowerment, support the fight against poverty and contribute to business and macroeconomic performance. This research conducted on behalf of the Business Environment Working Group (BEWG) of the Donor Committee for Enterprise Development (DCED) addresses the following questions:

• What are the factors in the business environment that have a direct and specific impact on women-owned and managed enterprises and the employment of women?
• What are the related lessons learned from previous and existing programmes of how DCED members can identify, measure and manage gender in business environment reform (BER) programmes?

This research has applied the DCED’s conceptualization of the three components and four levels of the business environment, and the nine functions of BER as the basis for the identification and analysis of gender and business environment reform (see figure A). This research is based on the premise that all components and functions of the business environment both impact and are impacted by gender roles in society.