This document discusses key dimensions of measuring women's empowerment: 1) Ability to make decisions and influence household, community, and leadership decisions. 2) Self-perception and personal freedom in terms of opinions on women's rights, roles, and autonomy. 3) Access to and control over resources like land, assets, income, credit, and savings. 4) Support from social networks through community group participation, access to services, and social capital. The document provides examples of potential indicators to measure each dimension.

1. How do we measure
women’s
empowerment?
MECIS ECONOMIC JUSTICE COMMUNITY 0F PRACTICE
LEARNING WORKSHOP
REGIONAL QUALITY TEAM MARCH 17-20, 2014

2. Page 2
Key Dimensions of Women’s
Empowerment
Ability to
make
Decisions &
Influence
Self-
perception
and Personal
Freedom
Access to &
Control over
Resources
Support from
Social
Networks
What affects a women’s ability to control her own
circumstances and fulfil her own interests and priorities?

3. Page 3
Ability to Make Decisions and
Influence
• Involvement in HH:
• a) investment decisions;
•b) livelihood mgt. decisions;
•c) income spending decisions; and
•d) general decisions
• Degree of influence in community decision-making
• Ability and access for women to reach leadership
positions (public office, private enterprises)

4. Page 4
Examples of Indicators: Ability to
Make Decisions and Influence
• % of women involved in household/enterprise/community
decision making.
• Perception that the site of production is seen as a powerful or
important physical space in the community.
• A bank manager returned to the community to offer a
producer group loans which had previously been rejected.
• Women have the opportunity to hold leadership positions in
POs (including participation in decision making in POs and in
constitutional / procedural provisions for the POs/
Cooperatives)

5. Page 5
Perception and Personal Freedom
• Opinions on (a) women’s property rights, (b) women’s
political rights, (c) educational equality.
• Opinions on women’s economic and political roles
• Opinions on early marriage
• Self-confidence
• Psychosocial well- being
• Literacy
• Autonomy in work
• Time to pursue personal goals
• Support from family in pursuing personal goals
• Attitude to violence against women
• Experience of violence

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Examples of Indicators: Perception
and Personal Freedom
• Vulnerable women in the community participate and try to
influence village-level planning meetings.
• Women from producer groups try to gain positions in
legislative office.
• Women are willing to speak up in community meetings.
• Women are well-groomed and proudly wearing the uniform of
their producer group (for the respect they feel it garners)
• Ability to interact with people in a range of outside-the-home
environments (eg: offices)
• How much and how confidently participating women speak to
staff during project visits (rather than being spoken to).
• Women's visibility outside the home during project visits
(when previously they would hide.)

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Access to and Control Over
Resources
• Ownership of land and property
• Ownership of other productive assets
• Independent income
• Extent of role in managing/keeping families cash
• Savings
• Access to credit

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Examples of Indicators: Access to
and Control Over Resources
• % of women's control over income and access to strategic /
assets.
• % of women consuming the profit by their own decisions.
• % of women receiving services from public and private
service providers.
• At least 40% of targeted women entrepreneurs own
enterprises making a profit of more than 25% by the end of
the project.
• Participants report increase in assets during project period.

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Support from Social Networks
•Degree of social connectivity
•Participation in community groups
•Level of support provided by groups to pursue own initiatives
• Social capital
•Availability of and access to services to pursue objectives (e.g.
business services with all-male staff can limit access for
women in certain contexts)

10. Page 10
Examples of Indicators: Support from
Social Networks
• The District Steering Committee will address issues and
influence policies in favour of poor women coir producers.
• Women producers will gain the knowledge and social skills
required to develop successful businesses and link directly to
markets.
• % of women involved in CBO, local government, market
committee, enterprise management, producer group committee.
• As women make economic gains, they will experience
increased status and respect in the home and community.
• Monitoring whether or not Violence Against Women and Girls
protection mechanisms are in place (women’s desks, referral
units, gender focal points).

11. Page 11
Ability to make
decision and
influence
Self-perception
and personal
freedom
Access to and
control over
resources
Support from
social networks
Innovation
services
USE TAJIKISTAN
EXAMPLE
New business
models
USE AZERbaijan
and West bank
example
Influencing and
investment
Use Georgia and
Gaza example
from Today!