Business Action for Women’s Economic Empowerment in Sub-Saharan Africa

November 2016

Preview of an Upcoming Report with Opportunities for Apparel, Telecommunications, and Mining Sectors

“The lesson is clear: If we want a strong and

bright economic future, then we need strong and bright women to

help drive it. That means all strands of

society need to embrace inclusion.”

—Christine Lagarde, Managing Director,

International Monetary Fund

Our Research inSub-Saharan Africa

• With support from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, we’re undertaking research to promote private sector action and support for women’s economic empowerment in sub-Saharan Africa.

• Our report includes recommendations on how companies can take action to ensure protection of women’s rights, safeguard their wellbeing, and strengthen economic opportunities for women.

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Scope of Research

3 industries, with a focus on Ghana, Kenya, and Tanzania

3 elements of the value chain

Supply Chain Workers

Employees

Community Members

Telecommunications

Apparel Manufacturing

Mining

The State of Women’s Empowerment in AfricaWomen in Africa are economically active through agricultural and trade pursuits but tend to be constrained in the formal labor force. Additionally, they face greater educational barriers and carry heavier social burdens than their male counterparts.

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Challenges for Women in Sub-Saharan Africa

1Source: http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/librarypage/hdr/2016-africa-human-development-report.html2Source: http://afrobarometer.org/sites/default/files/publications/Policy%20paper/ab_r5_policypaperno8.pdf3Source: http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/librarypage/hdr/2016-africa-human-development-report.html4Source: http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/librarypage/hdr/2016-africa-human-development-report.html

$0.70 earned by women for every US$1.00 earned by men in sub-Saharan Africa¹

2X the amount of time women in sub-Saharan Africa spend on domestic work compared to men, including child and elderly care, domestic work, and fetching water and wood³

$95B annual economic loss due to gender inequality in sub-Saharan Africa, peaking at US$105 billion in 2014⁴

26% of Africans reject the concept of gender equality and believe women should be subject to traditional laws²

A woman is economically empowered when she has both:

• The ability to succeed and advance economically: Women need the skills and resources to compete in markets, as well as fair and equal access to economic institutions.

• The power and agency to benefit from economic activities: Women need to have the ability to make and act on decisions and control resources and profits.

Source: ICRW

What is Women’s Economic Empowerment?

We Take a Holistic, Integrated, and Strategic ApproachIn our report, we focus on the full range of systemic and structural factors that hinder women’s progress by examining eight building blocks to women’s economic empowerment.

• BSR’s basic starting point is grounded in the belief that for women to achieve their full economic potential, they need more than simply a job.

• Instead, efforts to advance women’s economic empowerment need to address the underlying economic, social, cultural, and political factors that serve as barriers to gender equality and women’s empowerment. To do this we use eight building blocks and take a holistic, integrated and strategic approach.

Understanding Economic Empowerment

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The Eight Building Blocks

Access to equitable and safe employment1

Access to and control over economic resources and opportunities

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Education and training3

Access to and control over reproductive health and family formation

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Social protection and childcare5

Freedom from the risk of violence6

Voice in society and policy influence7

Freedom of movement8

What Can Companies Do?To galvanize private-sector action, we use BSR’s Business Action Framework to highlight what apparel, telecoms, and mining companies can do to enhance women’s economic empowerment.

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Business Action Framework : Act, Enable, Influence ACT

by making changes that are within the company’s direct control. This includes company policies, practices, communications, and investments that impact women along the value chain.

ENABLEby supporting, incentivizing, and investing in other actors such as NGOs, business partners, and key stakeholders to accelerate women’s empowerment.

INFLUENCEby advocating and sharing knowledge and expertise with government and other stakeholders to drive policy change and industry-wide transformation.

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Get Involved

3ways to be involved and benefit from this work

Review and

Refine

Engage and

Influence

Learn and Be

Informed

Help shape the report and recommendations by providing comments before publication

Attend, host, co-sponsor, or support events to showcase this research

Stay informed of the latest findings through the research report, presentations, webinars, and blogs

Learn More• Stay tuned for our report in January 2017.

• The report will include sections on:

o The barriers to achieving women’s economic empowerment in sub-Saharan Africa, with a close look at the eight building blocks and challenges that affect women disproportionately.

o Recommendations for companies with operations in the region with a look at integrating women’s economic empowerment into corporate strategy and highlighting the recommendations that cross industries.

o Specific industry sections on the apparel, mining, and telecommunications sectors including an overview of the industry in sub-Saharan Africa, impacts of the sector on women, and recommended actions for how companies can advance economic empowerment for women.

• Contact Ouida Chichester ochichester@bsr.org for additional information or to get involved.

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www.bsr.org

BSR is a global nonprofit organization that works with its network of more than 250 member companies to build a just and sustainable world. From its offices in Asia, Europe, and North America, BSR develops sustainable business strategies and solutions through consulting, research, and cross-sector collaboration.