Technical Knowledge Brief: Reducing Gender Barriers and Advancing Policies to Expand Women's Opportunities in the Workforce

This blog was co-authored by Adam Bramm and edited by Jennifer Hansel. The technical knowledge brief includes inputs from the USAID Engendering Industries activity and the USAID POWER activity.

On June 17, 2021, Banyan Global hosted a virtual learning event, “Reducing Gender Barriers and Advancing Policies to Expand Women’s Opportunities in the Workforce,” for members of USAID’s women’s economic empowerment community of practice (CoP). Members of the CoP convene to share knowledge and resources to advance women’s economic power. Currently, the CoP is exploring existing proven approaches in legal, financial, digital, and market systems; employer practices; and social norms including reducing gender-based violence in the workplace. In March, the COP met for a learning event exploring this topic, with a focus on the economic cost of gender-based violence.

For the June 17 event, Gender Expert, Jessica Menon from USAID's Engendering Utilities (now Engendering Industries) program discussed efforts to expand women’s participation in male-dominated industries. The activity works with organizations to co-design gender equality initiatives at each phase of the employee lifecycle; from recruiting and hiring to retention and succession planning.

Jacob Mathew, Chief of Party, from the Producer-Owned Women’s Enterprises (POWER) activity highlighted how they are achieving economic and social empowerment for women in rural areas by taking work closer to their home. POWER utilizes gender sensitization workshops, raises awareness, and trains women in the workplace across three value chains.

Check out this Technical Knowledge Brief, which contains resources and key learnings highlighted in the learning event.