Making the Most of Gender-Lens Investing

Although investment in gender-diverse organizations, women-owned businesses, and companies catering to women’s preferences has grown substantially in recent years, it is still nowhere close to reaching its full potential. It is being held back by common misconceptions that fly in the face of a mounting body of evidence.

"The global labor force participation rate for women is just over 50% compared to 80% for men [...]. Emerging evidence from recent household survey data suggests that these gender gaps are heightened due to the Covid-19 pandemic."

The gender gap is narrowing in some regions, but not necessarily from increased female participation, but falling male participation. Of all the income groups surveyed, the gender gap in labor force participation is largest in lower middle-income countries:

Gender-responsive sustainable finance recognises that green financing instruments can be used to address gender inequalities. Despite progress, women worldwide have less access to finance and related decision making, and sustainable finance frameworks often fail to integrate gender responsiveness, metrics, and data.

Next Tuesday, 15 March at 3PM CET, join the Green Finance Platform for "Gender-Responsive Sustainable Finance: Towards Inclusive Market Economies." An official Side Event for the 66th Commission on the Status of Women, this webinar will feature inputs from experts at the OECD, IFC, EBRD, GGGI, Climate Investment Funds, and UNDP Finance Sector Hub.

The discussion will focus on practical knowledge, including:

▶️ Measuring gender-responsive financing: Incorporation of gender in investors’ financial analysis (intangible asset) and ESG selection criteria, with focus on metrics and monitoring impact, business case for gender-sensitive green credit lines.

▶️ Encouraging international climate finance mechanisms to use gender-disaggregated data: Gender policy in climate funds and incentives to access those funds.

▶️ Catalysing gender-responsive sustainable finance: Investment incentives that governments may use to address gender equity, including subsidies, grants, tax incentives, blended finance, and procurement incentives.

Learn more and register ? ggkp.org/grf

? If you have any thoughts on this topic or questions you would like us to ask the panelists during the event, please share them in the comments below.

Land and property rights are crucial in delivering strengthened food security and lower rates of deforestation, among many. Securing women's land rights to promote gender equality and an inclusive transition is often met with significant challenges. How can we recognise gender equality through sub-Saharan Africa's land tenure systems?

The theme for International Women's Day, 8 March, 2022 is "Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow."

What are some gaps you see in the discussions around gender and sustainability? How does your work help promote women's empowerment?

We have just launched a community project we call Green Chics. It is an environmental education for women and children because we believe that households also have a critical role to play on a local level. Most importantly to stimulate and provide environmental ECD brain building interactions between primarycare givers and children to develop new green habits. I am open to welcome any ideas to help us further improve our programme. We are now developing discussion content therefore I would especially welcome any information about household level climate change mitigation.

Does anyone know where we can access free pictures showing impact of climate change in South Africa. we would lie to print those pictures to stimulate a discussion with the parents groups at our day care centres. 079 0209 253 also on whatsap. catherinesenyolo [at] nova.org.za (catherinesenyolo[at]nova[dot]org[dot]za)

Many of the discursive practices we consider given often go unexamined. Even a conceptual understanding of space, and how different communities engage with ecosystems present complexities that must be acknowledged. How can we envision an inclusive transition that doesn't speak for, or speak in place of the vast histories of land and peoples?