On Tuesday 30 January 2018, we hosted an engaging conversation on the role business has played and can play in empowering women economically – whether through the development of appropriate goods and services or through job creation and income generation opportunities. 

This was the first in BCtA’s new webinar series featuring presentations and discussions with key experts who have helped to empower women at the Base of the Pyramid (BOP) market through their research, products or services development, policy or advocacy work.

In a discussion moderated by Paula Pelaez, Head of Business Call to Action;  Aditi Mohapatra, Director, Women’s Empowerment at BSR, Anna Falth, Global Programme Manager, Empower Women at UN Women and Katy Lindquist, Communications Executive at AFRIpads, explored key questions on the business case for the private sector to actively engage women as consumers, producers, suppliers, distributors of goods and services or employees, and the role for business to promote and support Women’s Economic Empowerment.

One goal of this webinar was to discuss what is the real business case behind women’s economic empowerment but also provide concrete tools for business to engage on that front. Our panelists also shared ideas and stories of women who are leading on the UN Sustainable Development Goals across regions and sectors. The key messages from the three-webinar series will be included in a final insight report, to be released ahead of International Women’s Day 2018. With that in mind, the discussion sought responses to specific questions including, but not limited to:

• What is the ‘business case’ for investing in women’s economic empowerment?

• How have some inclusive business models been successful at empowering women?

• How can companies and other actors further promote inclusive business practices that empower women?

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Via the links below you can explore the full recording of the webinar and the presentation slides used. We also provide links to some of the tools our speakers presented during the webinar:

Useful Tools and Resources:

• Women’s Empowerement Principles, UN Women: The Women's Empowerment Principles are a set of Principles for business offering guidance on how to empower women in the workplace, marketplace and community. They are the result of a collaboration between the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) and the United Nations Global Compact and are adapted from the Calvert Women's Principles®.

• The Women’s Empowerment Principles Gender Gap Analysis Tool, UN Women: What is your company doing to advance gender equality? Identify strengths and areas where further action can be taken.

• Women’s Economic Empowerment in Sub-Saharan Africa: Recommendations for Business Action, BSR: this report focuses on the economic, social, cultural, and political barriers to gender equality in sub-Saharan Africa and offers companies recommendations on how to promote women's economic empowerment.

• Women’s Empowerment in Global Value Chains: A Framework for Business Action, BSR: This report examines how to create business opportunities that accelerate women's health, rights, and well-being in global value chains.

• ​Building Effective Women’s Economic Empowerment Strategies, BSR: the report presents the case for holistic and integrated approaches and specifies the opportunities across four key sectors: consumer products, financial services, healthcare, and information and communications technology.