With research syntheses on topics including labour markets, care, macroeconomic issues, and social norms, along with diverse case studies from many countries, Womens Economic Empowerment: Insights from Africa and South Asia represents a vital new contribution to our understanding of the relationship between gender inequality and the dynamics of economies in low-resource settings.
Ruth Levine, CEO, IDinsight, USA
This edited volume presents cutting-edge research on womens economic empowerment from diverse settings in the Global South. Through an examination of the gendered continuities, disruptions, and contradictions in the social and economic status of women in developing countries, it demonstrates why structural gender inequalities may persist despite individualised advancement of some women and what can be done about it.
Bipasha Baruah, Professor and Canada Research Chair in Global Womens Issues, Western University, Canada
Does economic growth promote gender equality? Based on rigorous primary research in 50 countries in the developing world, the answers from this ambitious research program reflect the context-specificity of gender relations and the complex relationships among labor markets, social norms, and care work to identify options for programs and policy.
Agnes Quisumbing, Senior Research Fellow, International Food Policy Research Institute, USA
WOMENS ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT
This book investigates the barriers to womens economic empowerment in the Global South. Drawing on evidence from a wide range of countries, the book outlines important lessons and practical solutions for promoting gender equality.
Despite global progress in closing gender gaps in education and health, womens economic empowerment has lagged behind, with little evidence that economic growth promotes gender equality. The International Development Research Centres (IDRC) Growth and Economic Opportunities for Women (GrOW) programme was set up to provide policy lessons, insights, and concrete solutions that could lead to advances in gender equality, particularly on the role of institutions and macroeconomic growth, barriers to labour market access for women, and the impact of womens care responsibilities. This book showcases rigorous and multi-disciplinary research emerging from this ground-breaking programme, covering topics such as the school-to-work transition, child marriage, unpaid domestic work and childcare, labour market segregation, and the power of social and cultural norms that prevent women from fully participating in better paid sectors of the economy.
With a range of rich case studies from Burkina Faso, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana, India, Kenya, Nepal, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Tanzania, and Uganda, this book is perfect for students, researchers, practitioners, and policymakers working on womens economic empowerment and gender equality in the Global South.
Kate Grantham is an international development researcher, educator, and consultant focused on gender equality and womens empowerment issues.
Gillian Dowie is a senior programme officer in the Sustainable Inclusive Economies programme at IDRC, currently based in New Delhi, India.
Arjan de Haan is a senior programme specialist with IDRCs Sustainable Inclusive Economies programme.
ROUTLEDGE STUDIES IN DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIETY
Feminist Advocacy, Family Law and Violence against Women
International Perspectives
Edited by Mahnaz Afkhami, Yakn Ertrk, and Ann Elizabeth Mayer
Civil Society in the Global South
Edited by Palash Kamruzzaman
Quality in Higher Education as a Tool for Human Development
Enhancing Teaching and Learning in Zimbabwe
Patience Mukwambo
Cultural Resistance and Security from Below
Power and Escape through Capoeira
Zo Marriage
The Prior Consultation of Indigenous Peoples in Latin America
Inside the Implementation Gap
Edited by Claire Wright and Alexandra Tomaselli
Transnational Social Mobilisation and Minority Rights
Identity, Advocacy and Norms
Corinne Lennox
Womens Economic Empowerment
Insights from Africa and South Asia
Edited by Kate Grantham, Gillian Dowie, and Arjan de Haan
For more information about this series, please visit: www.routledge.com/Routledge-Studies-in-Development-and-Society/book-series/SE0317
First published 2021
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British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Grantham, Kate E., editor. | Dowie, Gillian, editor. | Haan, Arjan de,
editor. | International Development Research Centre (Canada), issuing body.
Title: Womens economic empowerment : insights from Africa and South Asia /
edited by Kate Grantham, Gillian Dowie, and Arjan de Haan.
Description: Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge ; Ottawa :
International Development Research Centre, 2021. |
Series: Routledge studies in development and society | Includes
bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2020039902 (print) | LCCN 2020039903 (ebook) |
ISBN 9780367693794 (hardback) | ISBN 9780367694791 (paperback) |
ISBN 9781003141938 (ebook) | ISBN 9781552506172 (IDRC ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: Growth and Economic Opportunities for Women. | Women in
economic development--Africa. | Women--AfricaEconomic conditions. |
Women in economic developmentSouth Asia. | WomenSouth
Asia--Economic conditions. | Non-governmental organizations--Africa. |
Non-governmental organizations--South Asia.
Classification: LCC HQ1240.5.A35 W663 2021 (print) | LCC HQ1240.5.A35
(ebook) | DDC 305.4096--dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020039902
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2020039903
ISBN: 978-0-367-69379-4 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-0-367-69479-1 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-1-003-14193-8 (ebk)
ISBN: 978-1-55250-617-2 (IDRC ebk)
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by Taylor & Francis Books
In memory of our colleague Stephan Klasen (19662020), a mentor and an inspiration to many.