WOMEN ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT
At Simpact Foundation we believe that women’s economic empowerment is pivotal to achieving gender equality and sustainable development.
Evidence indicates that women’s lack of access to financial and property assets constrains their economic empowerment.
WOMEN ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT
At Simpact Foundation we believe that women’s economic empowerment is pivotal to achieving gender equality and sustainable development.
Evidence indicates that women’s lack of access to financial and property assets constrains their economic empowerment.
Approximately
70%
of the world’s poor
are women
Zambia’s gender inequality index is
0.539b ranked at 146 on the global
ranking.
58%
of the Zambia’s population
lives below the poverty
line of $1.97 per day
compared to an average
of 41% across
Sub-Saharan Africa.
31.4%
Zambia’s women between
20 and 24 years were
married by age 18.
Approximately
70%
of the world’s poor
are women
Zambia’s gender inequality index is
0.539b ranked at 146 on the global
ranking.
58%
of the Zambia’s population
lives below the poverty
line of $1.97 per day
compared to an average
of 41% across
Sub-Saharan Africa.
31.4%
Zambia’s women between
20 and 24 years were
married by age 18.
Research Indicates That Women Economic Empowerment Results In Benefits For The Wider Family Including Better Nutrition, Healthcare And Education For Their Children Among Other Things
It has been widely established that economic empowerment of women is one of the most effective way to achieve their potential and gender equity. Since women make up 70% of the world’s poor, to reduce poverty, specific interventions aimed at addressing women economic empowerment are critical. Unfortunately, women carry the burden of unpaid domestic care and responsibilities, according to UN Women research, globally the estimated monetary value the unpaid domestic care ranges between 10 to 39 percent of GDP. This is especially emphasized in Sub Saharan Africa including Zambia where traditional norms require women to carry the domestic care burden and most financial decisions are made by men. Although Africa has one of the highest labour participations of women after Asia, most of the work is related to unpaid domestic work and poor paying jobs in the informal sector. Women in Sub Sahara Africa accounts for over 70% of the workforce in the informal sector while they account for only one third of the formal sector.
According to UN data, Zambia’s Gender inequality index of 0.539 ranks no 146 on the global ranking. Through our interventions in collaboration with our partners we believe we can contribute towards reducing gender inequality and provide lasting solutions in a sustainable approach. An economically empowered woman is able to meet her family’s needs more effectively and less likely to be a victim of gender-based violence
It has been widely established that economic empowerment of women is one of the most effective way to achieve their potential and gender equity. Since women make up 70% of the world’s poor, to reduce poverty, specific interventions aimed at addressing women economic empowerment are critical. Unfortunately, women carry the burden of unpaid domestic care and responsibilities, according to UN Women research, globally the estimated monetary value the unpaid domestic care ranges between 10 to 39 percent of GDP. This is especially emphasized in Sub Saharan Africa including Zambia where traditional norms require women to carry the domestic care burden and most financial decisions are made by men. Although Africa has one of the highest labour participations of women after Asia, most of the work is related to unpaid domestic work and poor paying jobs in the informal sector. Women in Sub Sahara Africa accounts for over 70% of the workforce in the informal sector while they account for only one third of the formal sector. According to UN data, Zambia’s Gender inequality index of 0.539 ranks no 146 on the global ranking. Through our interventions in collaboration with our partners we believe we can contribute towards reducing gender inequality and provide lasting solutions in a sustainable approach. An economically empowered woman is able to meet her family’s needs more effectively and less likely to be a victim of gender-based violence.
Women’s Lack Of Access To Financial And Property Assets Constrains Their Economic Empowerment
At Simpact Foundation we are focused on ensuring that our investments deliver returns that are aimed at delivering visible and sustainable social impact in terms of alleviating poverty and narrowing the economic gender gap. Our unique approach focusses on addressing FOUR key capital requirements because we believe that for women to succeed and advance economically, women need resources which are not restricted to financial and monetary terms but also include;
Physical Capital
Physical capital such as land and machinery; women globally only account for less than 13 percent of agriculture landowners while women in Sub Saharan Africa only own about 15% of Agricultural land despite producing 70 percent of the food. Research shows that if women had the same access to productive resources as men, they would increase the yields of farms by 20%-30% and reduce hunger by up to 17%. Through our empowerment capital investments we are able to fund physical capital as a means of empowerment capital.
Land ownership by women
is less than 13% globally, while
women in Sub-Sahara Africa is
about 15%
Financial Capital
Women are less likely to access formal financial services compared to men, thereby making it difficult to access much needed financial capital. With the advent of micro financing institutions and digital financial advancement such as mobile money, many women have been able to access basic financial services, however, women financial inclusion remains low. Access to basic financial services is still limited for most women. Through our low-cost capital program aimed at micro entrepreneurs or small-scale farmers we fund value chains with the aim of providing both financial and market access through product aggregation process to leverage economies of scale.
Globally, women have lower
access to formal financial
services compared to
men.
40.3%
Financial inclusion for
female Zambians aged 15
years and above.
Social Capital
Social capital (networks including fair and equal access to markets and mentors). Through our Market access programs we help to leverage our value chains to provide access to market for women small scale farming groups. While funding is a critical requirement for most women entrepreneurs and small-scale farmers, it is also critical that our recipients have access to market as this could mean a sizeable uplift in income. For many women access to the right market can mean being able to put a meal on the table for their family, basic education for their children and access to basic healthcare.
Our market access initiatives are aimed at providing small scale farming groups the leverage of economies of scale derived from aggregating agricultural output from all our recipients. Through this approach we can fund much needed logistics cost that can be a barrier for many vulnerable female small-scale farmers to gain access to market and better pricing levels as most of the farmers are in remote areas where transport costs to market can be limiting. Better market pricing normally leads to better income levels that can be used to provide better nutrition, education, and healthcare for their families. Apart from unlocking increased income levels, our market access program also reduces crop wastage which usually occurs because of lack of adequate storage facilities.
Human Capital
Human capital includes education, skills, and training. In sub-Saharan Africa, girls are less likely to finish secondary school than boys, largely because girls are often held back at home to help with domestic workload and early marriages. It is estimated that about 40 percent of girls in sub-Saharan Africa are married before the age of 18, which severely limits their ability to be economically empowered without formal education. According to UNICEF research while child marriages prevalence rate in Zambia has declined, it remains high at around 31.4% with women between 20 and 24 years having been married by the age of 18. According to the UNICEF 2018 Country report, only 30% of adolescent girls complete high school
Our school feeding programs do not only provide much needed basic nutrition for children coming from mostly poor families but are also aimed at keeping girls in schools. Research indicates that school feeding programs encourage families in poor communities to send girls to school instead of keeping them at home to help with domestic chores. Apart from providing financial capital, we provide financial literacy training and basic business skills training.
Globally, women earn about 25%
less than men while Zambian
women earn 23.4% of less than
men
40.3%
Global labour force participation
rate for women is 26.5% lower
than men at 48.5% while that
of Zambia is 18.2% lower than
men at 26.6%.
Our Impact
Our women empowerment approach is predominantly aimed at providing access to financial, social, and physical capital and to a lesser extent human capital through our financial and business skills training. Our financial capital access models include structured trade-based funding for input supplies for vulnerable but viable small-scale women farmers through farmer groups such as cooperatives. As part of the value chain-based approach, we also leverage the economies of scale for the various women farmer groups and structure off take agreements with our Corporate partners. Our unique approach leverages commercial and social investments to deliver sustainable impact aimed at uplifting the lives of many vulnerable women and their families.
Our Impact
Our women empowerment approach is predominantly aimed at providing access to financial, social, and physical capital and to a lesser extent human capital through our financial and business skills training. Our financial capital access models include structured trade-based funding for input supplies for vulnerable but viable small-scale women farmers through farmer groups such as cooperatives. As part of the value chain-based approach, we also leverage the economies of scale for the various women farmer groups and structure off take agreements with our Corporate partners. Our unique approach leverages commercial and social investments to deliver sustainable impact aimed at uplifting the lives of many vulnerable women and their families.
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