Gender Publications

Aug 14, 2020

Digital2Equal: Lynk Addresses Inclusion in the Informal Sector

Kenyan work platform Lynk connects blue-collar workers with job opportunities and provides a platform for artisans to showcase and sell their products. As part of IFC’s Digital2Equal initiative, Lynk realized it could support women’s entry into high-paying but male-dominated industries. This case study highlights how Lynk’s approach allowed it to gain a better understanding of the challenges and needs of women who use the platform and helped the company to develop training and financial support schemes.

English | 3 pages | 2020 IFC

Aug 14, 2020

Digital2Equal: Mercado Libre’s Inclusive Policies Fuel Women’s Intrapreneurship and Entrepreneurship in Latin America

Twenty years after its founding in Argentina and expansion into 18 countries, Latin American e-commerce site Mercado Libre supports an estimate of 600,000 families. This case study highlights how Mercado Libre’s approach to diversity and inclusion helped increase the proportion of women employees in information technology (IT), management, and senior leadership roles. The company fosters an inclusive culture, nurtures IT talent, and provides women access to technology education. It also shows how a dedication to building diverse teams has inspired equally mindful approaches to creating a better enabling environment for the women entrepreneurs who use the platform.

English | 5 pages | 2020 IFC

Aug 14, 2020

Digital2Equal: MYBank’s Gender-Driven Approach to Lending

Chinese online lender MYBank has provided loans to more than 20 million small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in China, using a data-driven approach with more than 3,000 variables to assess within three minutes an applicant’s ability to repay. This case study explores how MYBank has embraced the opportunity of women-owned SMEs as a market, including developing initiatives to help more women take advantage of MYBank’s offerings.

English | 2 pages | 2020 IFC

Aug 14, 2020

Digital2Equal: Salesforce’s Intentional Approaches to Inclusivity in the Employee Lifecycle

Customer relationship management platform Salesforce is considered a trailblazer in setting standards for equal pay and inclusive practices. This case study charts the development of Salesforce’s inclusion strategy over the past eight years and how initiatives in the past year resulted in equal pay adjustments for 7 percent of employees—96 percent of the pay gaps were due to unexplained differences between genders.

English | 3 pages | 2020 IFC

Aug 14, 2020

Digital2Equal: SweepSouth Highlights the Pay and Working Conditions of Domestic Workers

To better understand the needs of domestic workers and to advocate for change in workers’ pay, South African home-cleaning service app SweepSouth conducted a survey of more than 1,300 domestic workers across the country as part of IFC’s Digital2Equal initiative. This case study explores how findings from the survey are informing policy debates on the pay and working conditions of domestic workers in South Africa.

English | 3 pages | 2020 IFC

Aug 14, 2020

Digital2Equal: Uber India Gets Women Moving

Transport is a key—and often underemphasized—tool for increasing women’s economic potential. This case study highlights global ride-hailing firm Uber’s efforts to increase safety and security for its drivers and passengers by rolling out sexual harassment training to 75,000 drivers in India and by promoting freedom of movement through social media campaigns.

English | 2 pages | 2020 IFC

Aug 6, 2020

Factsheet: Advancing Women's Employment

As more women enter the labor market and exert influence as consumers, savvy companies recognize the need to attract and retain more female employees and purchase from women-led companies. This factsheet provides an overview of IFC’s Gender-Smart Business Solutions program that provides clients with tools and resources to strengthen gender inclusion within their operations, resolve labor issues, increase employee engagement, benefit from inclusive sourcing, and enhance company performance.

English | 2 pages | 2020 IFC

Aug 5, 2020

Green Delta: The Case for Insuring Women for a Better Tomorrow

Green Delta Insurance Company (GIDC) is an IFC client and the first non-life insurer in Bangladesh targeting women customers. In 2014, the company launched Nibedita—a comprehensive accident insurance product for both urban and rural women that now serves all income levels. This case study summarizes GIDC’s groundbreaking approach with women.

English | 7 pages | 2020 IFC

Aug 3, 2020

Factsheet: Tackling Childcare

Access to good quality, affordable childcare can benefit employees, their children, employers, and economies. This factsheet offers an overview of IFC’s Global Tackling Childcare Advisory program working with companies across regions and sectors to aid the implementation of family-friendly workplace policies.

English | 2 pages | 2020 IFC

Jul 30, 2020

Tackling Childcare: Employer-Supported Childcare in Cambodia

This study, based on surveys of employers and childcare providers in Cambodia analyzes key drivers of, and gaps in, employer-supported childcare. It identifies a suite of available childcare options and models provided by employers. The report also assesses the accessibility, availability, quality, and affordability of private childcare in Cambodia, and presents a business case for investing in it.

Jul 28, 2020

AXA Mansard: The Case for Insuring Women for a Better Tomorrow

With support from IFC, AXA Mansard sought to become a preferred insurer and an employer of choice for women in Nigeria. This case study explores how the company conducted market research to understand the needs of Nigerian women, developed products specifically for women, created strategic partnerships with women’s organizations, and trained senior managers and agents to better serve women customers.

English | 7 pages | 2020 IFC

Jul 21, 2020

Factsheet: Workplace Responses to Gender-Based Violence

Gender-based violence can impact business operations through workplace bullying and sexual harassment, employees experiencing domestic and sexual violence, and sexual exploitation and abuse connected to the workplace. This factsheet provides an overview of IFC's work addressing gender-based violence.

English | 2 pages | 2020 IFC

Jul 21, 2020

1st for Women: The Case for Insuring Women for a Better Tomorrow

This case study explores the business case for women-centric insurance products in South Africa. The insurer 1st for Women, found that although South African women were purchasing insurance policies, these did not cater specifically to women’s needs. To tap into this estimated $788 million market, 1st for Women analyzed women’s risk-protection needs and designed specific solutions and products, rather than just repackaging existing products.

English | 7 pages | 2020 IFC

Jul 14, 2020

Addressing Gender-Based Violence and Harassment: Emerging Good Practice for the Private Sector

This publication outlines emerging practices in addressing gender-based violence and harassment (GBVH) in operations and investments, while accompanying sector-specific briefs provide targeted guidance on addressing GBVH risks in key sectors, including transport, construction and manufacturing.

96 pages | © July 2020 IFC, EBRD, CDC Group | Complimentary

Jul 8, 2020

COVID-19 and Gender-Based Violence: Workplace Risks and Responses

This guidance note seeks to inform employers about the heightened risks of gender-based violence as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and outline ways in which employers can address these risks, improve employee and community well-being, and create a safe and resilient workplace.

English | 14 pages | 2020 IFC

Jun 15, 2020

Gender-Segregated Transportation in Ride-Hailing

This publication explores whether gender-segregated services—or women-only services—in ride-hailing help get more women on the road as drivers and riders, or just reinforce restrictive gender norms. The paper identifies seven distinct models, including, for example, a women-exclusive platform that allows women drivers to be matched with women riders.

English | 80 pages | 2020 IFC

Jun 11, 2020

Sixth Annual Fintech CEO Summit

English | 92 pages | 2018 IFC International Finance Corporation 2018

Jun 3, 2020

COVID-19 and the Insurance Industry: Why a Gender-Sensitive Response Matters

The COVID-19 crisis poses new challenges for women and insurers. This guidance note highlights best practices from insurance companies on how they can support female employees, customers, and agents during the pandemic. The publication also explains how women can contribute to the success of the insurance industry and how insurers can better engage with them during the crisis.

English | 22 pages | 2020 IFC

May 4, 2020

Gender and COVID-19: Key Considerations, Resources and Support for Infrastructure and Natural Resource Companies in Emerging Markets

This note is designed as a quick reference guide to help companies understand how smart, gender-inclusive strategies can bolster the effectiveness of their response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

May 4, 2020

Unlocking Opportunities for Women and Business: A Toolkit of Actions and Strategies for Oil, Gas, and Mining Companies

A growing number of oil, gas, and mining companies have committed to create more diverse, gender-balanced, inclusive industries – recognizing that it is not only the right thing to do, but it also makes business sense. To help oil, gas, and mining companies to meet their gender goals, IFC has developed this toolkit. The toolkit starts with detailed business case arguments on the benefits of gender diversity and inclusion, and then provides practical, detailed tools to help companies to assess and address obstacles to equality and inclusion in the workplace, across the supply chain, and in community engagement and investment. It includes easy-to-use techniques and tools to transform a broad gender strategy into a supportive working reality for women and men.

Apr 7, 2020

Tip Sheet for Company Leadership on Crisis Response: Facing the COVID-19 Pandemic

The publication provides company leadership tips on crisis response, from each level of a corporate structure, to ensure the best practices are adopted for short and long-term business implications.

Apr 7, 2020

Portrait of Bangladesh’s Independent Directors (March 2020)

The report is part of IFC’s efforts to recognize the skills, qualifications, and time commitment made by independent directors in Bangladesh.

Apr 6, 2020

Childcare in the COVID-19 Era: A Guide for Employers

This guidance note, a companion to IFC's Global Guide for Employer-Supported Childcare, outlines ways in which employers can support the care and family needs of their employees during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and fulfill their obligations under the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights.

English | 17 pages | 2020

Mar 9, 2020

Distributing Light and Livelihoods: Solar Products Create Economic Empowerment for Women in India

Since 2014, IFC and Dharma Life have partnered to help grow this network of women distribution agents and to support Dharma Life’s expansion into new geographies within India. IFC provides advisory support to Dharma Life to train its existing entrepreneurs for better impact, and to create awareness about alternative and clean sources of lighting in its areas of operation.

Mar 8, 2020

Pursuing Gender Equality Through Infrastructure and Natural Resources

This series of briefs provided tools for infrastructure and natural resources companies to benefit from gender equality. The briefs highlight key challenges, business cases, and operational entry points to enhance gender equity in power, transport, cities, water and sanitation, and mining projects.

English | 4 pages | IFC 2020