Charting ILO efforts in women's entrepreneurship development with a look to the future

Women's entrepreneurship development is vital for gender equality, women’s labour participation and decent work. However, significant challenges continue to persist. Informality and low profit margins among women entrepreneurs remain widespread, further exacerbated by disproportionate care responsibilities and institutional barriers. As economies seek inclusive and sustainable growth, the need for meaningful participation of women entrepreneurs cannot be overlooked.

The latest compendium on Creating a conducive environment for women’s entrepreneurship development: Taking stock of ILO efforts and looking ahead in a changing world of work offers a comprehensive overview of ILO's recent efforts to promote women's entrepreneurship development for decent work, and explores the challenges and opportunities faced by partners, including governments, trade unions, and employers’ organizations in promoting this work. Contributing to ILO's 2008 Strategy on Women's Entrepreneurship Development, this compendium maps out 19 case studies that directly and indirectly support women’s entrepreneurship development. The case studies are divided into 6 broad categories (see below), and each case study draws on publicly available reports, internal documents and interviews of staff involved in these ILO projects and programmes.

Executive summary

Advocating for policy and regulatory reforms

• WE Empower: Fostering trickle-down effects in G7 countries
• RBCLAC: Promoting responsible business practices in the Americas
• The SCORE Programme: Building the capacity of small and medium enterprises
• Eliminating violence and harassment in the world of work: Evidence from West Africa
• COVID-19 recovery in Argentina: Recognizing and supporting care

Easing access to finance

• AFERE: Supporting women’s entrepreneurship development in rural Tunisia
• Work4Women: Tackling financial challenges of kindergarten and pre-school owners in Jordan

Developing knowledge, confidence and skills

• Empowering women and girls affected by migration: Identifying skills development gaps within select value chains in Kyrgyzstan
• Greening entrepreneurship: Supporting vulnerable women in Ghor Al Safi in Jordan
• JovEmprego: Supporting young people and women in Cabo Verde in growing and formalizing their businesses
• Better Work: Helping the global garment industry seek a better way

Supporting access to market opportunities

• LEED: Towards inclusive growth strategies for conflict-affected communities in Sri Lanka
• FWEAN: Fostering women’s entrepreneurship for sustainable supply chains in Nepal
• PROSPECTS: Partnership for improving prospects for forcibly displaced persons and host communities

Harnessing the power of technology

• Despega tu Negocio (Help Your Business Take Off): Digital tools for self-employed women in Bolivia
• Rebuilding Better: Fostering business resilience post-COVID-19 in Malaysia, Thailand and the Philippines

Promoting voice and representation

• DWW: Fostering decent work for women in Egypt and Tunisia
• SOLIFEM: Social dialogue for formalization and employment in the Arab States
• Win-win synergies for gender equality in the Americas

Good practices and lessons learned

The compendium also examines wider takeaways to scale up effective practices and promote transformative interventions to support gender equality and women's economic empowerment. It lays out experiences for ILO field offices and outside practitioners from which to draw ideas, inspiration and innovation.

• Experiences, good practices and learnings: A synthesis