Working Women:
Better Outcomes for Growth
Mayra Buvinic
Director, Gender and Development Group
World Bank
GAP Guiding Principles
• Selective coverage
• Evidence-based
• Results-oriented
• Relies on incentives
GAP: Changing the way the Bank does business
• Mainstream gender in Bank economic sector
operations.
• Support analytical work and tools to build the
evidence base and influence Bank staff and
policy in the long-term.
GAP Framework
Advance women’s economic empowerment
Policy level
Agency level
Make markets
work for women
Empower women to
compete in markets
GAP Framework
Policy Level:
Make markets work for
women
Agency Level:
Empower women to
compete in markets
Product Markets
Include female-owned
businesses and farms in
supply chains
Form women’s business,
purchasing, and transport
associations
Financial Markets
Offer commercial credit
Support self-help groups and
lines and financial services ROSCAs
for women
Land Markets
Promote joint titling to
land to enable women to
access loans
Ensure women’s participation
in land adjudication and
registration processes
Labor Markets
Certify good gender
practices in firms
Provide labor intermediation
services to young women
Infrastructure Increases Access to all 4 Markets
GAP Labor Market Portfolio
GAP Funding
Financial Contribution to the GAP
(as of September 2009)
Source
Pledges
Receipts
Trust Fund
$ 48,709,175
$ 25,452,087
Bank Budget
$ 11,741,231
$ 11,341,231
Total
$60,450,406
$36,793,318
This includes pledges to the new Adolescent Girls Initiative
launched in October 2008.
7
GAP Allocation by Markets (197 activities)
As of September 2009
Infrastructure,
27, 14%
PSD, 40, 20%
Other, 30, 15%
Labor, 57, 29%
Land and
Agriculture, 43,
22%
8
GAP Labor Market Activities
Area
Number
Funding (US$)
Research
10
737,000
ESW
20
1,684,000
Data
3
200,000
Impact Evaluation
13
1,397,500
Active Labor Market projects
5
637,330
AGI projects
5
17,000,000
Private Sector Leaders Forum
1
300,000
57
21,955,830
TOTAL
Women and the Financial Crisis
Women join the labor force in times of crisis
% Change in Labor Force Participation (1993-95) - Latin American Crisis
3
2
1
0
-1
-2
-3
Argentina
Brazil
Mexico
Female
Male
% Change in Labor Force Participation (1997-99) - East Asian Crisis
3
2
1
0
-1
-2
-3
Source: WDI, 2008
Indonesia
Korea,Rep.
Philippines
11
Women’s labor supply is counter-cyclical in low-income HHs.
Percentage Point Change in female LFP from a 10% drop in GDP
1
0.5
0.88
0.42
.
0
-0.15
-0.5
Poor: no education Poor: some education Completed secondary
or higher education
Source: Sonia Bhalotra and Marcela Umana-Aponte, 2009. “Distress Work amongst Women?: The dynamics of labor
supply in (66) developing countries”. University of Bristol
12
Jobs and earnings losses

Cambodia’s garment industry has laid off 60,000 workers (20% of workforce of
the sector).

Bangladesh Jute Spinners Association reported a layoff of 20,000 workers in
January/February 2009.

In China more than 67,000 labor-intensive SMEs have closed down, with total
job losses of up to 2.7 million.

Women informal sector producers may also lose jobs
(even if informal sector usually cushions impacts of crisis).


In Ahmedabad, India, ½ of self-employed women in the garment sector saw
their monthly earning decrease to less than 1000 Rupees, while all earned
above that amount in November 2008l; and
31% saw significant decreases in the number of days worked (SEWA).
13
Lessons Learned
Improving Women’s Work and Employability
• Active labor market policies
• Increasing access to credit / entrepreneurship.
• Child care programs & family friendly policies
• CCTs & CDDs
Program features to attract women’s participation
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Type of work
Nature intermediary agency
Location work site
Child care provision
Below-market wages
Eligibility criteria
Explicit women targets
Active Labor Market Projects
Interventions:
•
•
•
•
Wage subsidy
Training (including on-the-job)
Intermediation (job search, counseling, etc)
Public works
Results:
•
•
•
•
Increase employment rate, especially women
Mixed evidence on wage rates
Mixed evidence on effects of training
Little known on cost-effectiveness (impacts sustained 9
years)
Active Labor Market Projects
 Voucher program (Pro- Empleo - Argentina) increased employment, especially for
women and young workers
Percentage point increase in employment
20%
16%
12%
7.6%
8%
4%
3.4%
0%
Men
Women
Source: Galasso, Ravallion & Salvia (2001)
Youth Employment Projects
 Vocational training program (Jóvenes en Acción – Colombia) raised earnings and
employment, with larger effects for women.
Percentage increase
20%
16%
18%
14%
12%
8%
8%
6.7%
4%
0%
Men
Women
Employment
Source: Attanasio et al (2008)
Men
Women
Earnings
Questions
• Job displacement?
• Lower wages?
• Crowd out private training?
• Differentials by gender in exiting from workfare?
• Differentials by gender in stigmatization?
Thank you