BSR Insight | Overcoming the Obstacles to Investing in Women
About the Author(s)
Jennifer Schappert, Manager, Partnership Development
Publication Date
October 12, 2010
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Last week in London, BSR hosted a workshop where representatives from businesses and NGOs explored the intersections of business and women in emerging economies. As companies expand their operations and supply chains, sustainable growth will require investments in and recognition of women as consumers, employees, and community members.
To promote the integration of gender considerations into overall sustainability strategies, participants identified four focus areas:
- Cross-sector collaborations create new investment opportunities. For example, Vodafone and Primark discussed their experiences and lessons learned from their micro-savings and financial literacy programs in Kenya and India, respectively.
- Programs targeting women can link disparate investments under a shared strategic theme. Companies can link community investment strategies with supply chain compliance efforts by targeting a uniquely vulnerable segment of the workforce that would also benefit most from community investments.
- Supply chain and stakeholder engagement strategies, codes of conduct, and compliance teams need to become more gender sensitive. Women are disproportionately impacted by ineffective laws and poor working and living conditions, calling for gender-sensitive strategies and compliance programs.
- The links between female producers and consumers and sustainability are unclear and need to be further explored.
Learn more about investing in women, and join us at the BSR Conference 2010 session "The Gender Lens."
About the Author(s)
Jennifer Schappert, Manager, Partnership Development
With years of international experience, Jennifer is a key player in the implementation of HERproject—BSR’s factory-based women’s health initiative—in South Asia and Northern Africa... Read more →
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