2. Definitions of Terms
Economic Development:
Sustainable growth of the means by which women and
men support themselves and their families and reach a
sustainable increase in living standards. It implies
increased per capita income, better education and health
as well as environmental protection.
3. Definitions of Terms
Gender Equitable:
Process of treating women and men fairly so that any
government policies and programming ensures that both
sexes benefit equally from support.
Due to the very different socio-economic conditions facing
men and women, sometimes this will require treating them
differently to address the different priorities, needs and
situation of each sex.
Sometimes requires sex-specific programming in some
areas to address historic sex-based economic disadvantages
for both sexes.
4. Key Elements in an Effective Approach to
Ensure Gender equity
The Framework:
1. Should not be gender-blind
• Must identify if there are any significantly different issues and
priorities for women and men.
2. Should focus on a number of development sectors
• For Example
• Focus on economic development built in the natural resource and
energy sectors
• Areas where there is strong predominance of male employment
and ownership
• Raises doubts as to whether women will benefit directly.
5. The Framework
3. Has a set of guiding principles that take into account
the different socio-economic conditions affecting
women and men
4. Serves to change the existing socio-economic
division between men and women
5. Differentiate between the different needs and
economies found in different communities (in
Southern and Northern areas) and of the different
roles that women and men play in these economies.
• E.g., the differences between local economies based on farming
and those based on hunting and fishing, the differences between
rural and urban-based economies.
6. Key Analytical Areas to Consider
• High level of poverty
• Levels of occupational concentration based on sex and
how women tend to be concentrated in areas that pay
less
• E.g., approx. 50% women work in service sector versus 20% of
men
• Employment rates
• Factors such as lack of access to work, family
responsibilities, lack of role models, etc.
7. Key Analytical Areas to Consider
• Existing businesses owned by women and men and the
sectors these businesses are concentrated.
• Deficits in Human Capital - To increase employability of
women and their ability to work, need to first examine
what factors are keeping them out of the labour force.
• E.g., lack of access to childcare
• Lack of funds for training
• Training opportunities far from home
• Lack of role models
• Lack of exposure to labour market analysis
• Early marriage
• Low self-esteem
• Limited job market in local communities
8. Implications of Lack of Gender Analysis
• Assumptions that if women and men are treated the same
way, it will lead to the same results for both. This is a faulty
premise
• There are significant differences in women and men’s
access to resources and the ways in which they approach
business development.
• Women often concentrated in cultural and tourism
industries and micro and small enterprises, not the natural
resource and energy sectors, and face considerably more
barriers to economic development than men.
9. Barriers to Address
Inability to access capital
• Women have less access to capital than men due to
lower incomes
• Also may be more risk adverse as can afford to risk less
• Not clear if existing institutions aware of differential
access of women and men to capital and other gender-
based barriers to economic development
• Therefore there is a need for assessment of the current
reach and service delivery from gender perspective.
10. Barriers to Address
• Currently most financial institutions still base risk
assessments on financial assets and past track records in
business.
• To increase women’s access to capital for business start-ups
and expansion, need to look at alternative models for
assessing risk and assets.
• Need to go beyond assessment of financial assets.
11. Business Development Approaches
Women-owned businesses often demonstrate the
following characteristics:
• A strong commitment to their local community,
particularly in terms of sourcing and employment.
• A perception of themselves as being at the centre of
their business organization with teams and working
groups emanating from that central position, rather
than developing rigid hierarchical structures in which
they are positioned at the top.
12. Business Development Approaches
• A strong commitment to a vision that encompasses both
their private and business lives. This means that they
constantly strive to develop sustainable business with
manageable growth rather than aiming for immediate high
growth and overtrading.
• A focus upon the personal relationship aspects of business
contacts, which supports long-term ambitions, (which
include high turnover and profitability).
13. Business Development Approaches
• A tendency to develop contacts through active networking,
which they perceive as a rich business resource.
• A pattern of growing their business through a range of
relationship alliances that frequently enable the creation of
more businesses and trade.
• This results in slower growth of women run businesses, as
measured traditionally by increased number of employees,
but also generally fosters much more sustainable growth
(Muir:2002).
