This report marks the completion of the IFC-led SheWorks global private sector partnership to advance employment opportunities and improve working conditions for more than 300,000 women by 2016. It consolidates the knowledge, best practices, and lessons learned during the two-year SheWorks partnership so that other companies committed to investing in women’s employment can benefit as well. The report also captures, on an aggregate level, the progress made by SheWorks member companies towards realizing their commitments.

Launched by World Bank Group’s President Jim Yong Kim at the 2014 Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting, SheWorks brought together 13 leading private sector companies operating in diverse sectors in emerging and developed markets. Each SheWorks member made a minimum of three gender smart commitments to support their female employees while realizing business benefits. Three strategic partners, namely the EDGE Certified Foundation, the International Labour Organization, and the UN Global Compact, also joined SheWorks and contributed their knowledge and expertise to help members achieve their commitments.

The report starts with an overview of SheWorks and then delves deeper into the best practices and lessons learned shared by SheWorks members and partners across 6 commitment areas: Women in Business Leadership and Management; Recruitment and Retention of Female Talent in the Workforce; Effective Anti-Sexual Harassment Mechanisms; Supporting Women in the Value Chain as Employees and Entrepreneurs; Measuring and Reporting on Progress; and Leadership’s Public Commitment to Women’s Employment as a Smart Business Strategy. The report ends with a forward-looking perspective on avenues for future partnerships and research.

For more information, please contact Rudaba Nasir at RNasir1@ifc.org.