News and Lessons from the World Bank Group's Umbrella Facility for Gender Equality

Lessons from the Field

Understanding Social Norms in Jordan

The seventh interview in the UFGE Lessons from the Field interview series features Senior Social Development Specialist Mariana Felicio, who shared key lessons from her recent work in Jordan which addressed some of the barriers that women face when trying to access labor markets.

Read the full interview

Africa Gender Innovation Lab

Women's Micro-enterprises and household relationships

Recent studies have shown that gender gaps in micro-entrepreneurship in Ghana widen because of certain intra-household dynamics that affect women's business decisions.

This paper identified the connections between these dynamics and economic resource management practices, and the way they influence women's investment choices.

Read the full paper

Caring about Carework

The Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo is running a series of interventions targeted at smallholder farmers, in particular women in the Kongo Central region. These interventions, for example the provision of childcare services, seek to address issues related to low agricultural productivity and income, due to time constraints women face linked to their domestic and care responsibilities. This study highlights what works to increase women’s agricultural productivity.

Download the full study | Brief |

East Asia and Pacific Gender Innovation Lab

Women Farmers in Timor-Leste: Bridging the Productivity Gap

Although agriculture is the predominant activity and source of subsistence in Timor-Leste, evidence shows a high productivity gap. This report provides the first nation-wide analysis of the productivity gap between female and male farmers in Timor-Leste, and thoroughly analyzes the factors linked to it.

Download the full report | Download the policy brief

Does access to preschool increase women’s employment?

W omen’s employment in Indonesia, at 48.7% is significantly below the average in the region. This policy brief builds on existing work which found that lack of childcare arrangements in the household is one of the main reason for leaving a job. Access to affordable pre-schools and daycare centers could alleviate childcare burden mothers carry, and increase female labor force participation.

Download the brief

Indonesian Adolescent Boys and Schooling Outcomes

A recent study establishes the links between mindsets, perceptions, socio-emotional skills, schooling outcomes, and gender using data on 56,000 8th grade students studying in 2,100 public schools on the Indonesian islands of Java and Sumatera. The research found that boys have lower grades and school attendance than girls, and that some behavioral factors and mindsets could negatively affect their learning.

Dowload the brief

International Finance Corporation Updates

The Business Case for a Gender Audit

In this blog, Director of Infrastructure and Natural Resources at the International Finance Corporation Morgan Landy shares some of the recommendations from the recently published toolkit Unlocking Opportunities for Women and Business on how to conduct a gender audit and design an action plan to break the barriers to equality and inclusion in the workplace.

Read the blog

Photo Credit: Khasar Sandag, IFC

Europe and Central Asia

Promoting Women's Employment in Kosovo

A recent workshop hosted by the World Bank convened government officials, civil society representatives and development partners to discuss recommendations for addressing multiple barriers that prevent women from participating in the labor market. Proposed actions include soft skills enhancement, counseling to address occupational segregation, and support on job search.

The Umbrella Facility for Gender Equality (UFGE) is a multi-donor trust fund administered by the World Bank to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment through experimentation and knowledge creation to help governments and the private sector focus policy and programs on scalable solutions with sustainable outcomes. The UFGE is supported with generous contributions from Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Iceland, Latvia, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

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