The Women’s Leadership Portfolio (WLP) advances USAID’s Gender Equality and Female Empowerment Policy and related U.S. strategies to enhance women’s and girls’ leadership and empowerment . Activities under the WLP are funded by the Women’s Leadership Directive, allocated annually by the U.S. Congress. USAID contracted a performance evaluation to better understand the portfolio’s characteristics, achievements, and challenges. WLP Characteristics This evaluation examined 45 activities that it divided into four sub-portfolios: Gender-Based Violence (GBV), Partnerships, Women’s Leadership, and Women, Peace, and Security (WPS). The Women’s Leadership Directive funds were transferred to missions and USAID/Washington operating units through solicitations and other funding requests. The Office of Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment and WPS fund managers from Washington provided in- depth guidance to country missions and other USAID offices. Women’s Leadership Sub-Portfolio Characteristics Women’s Leadership activities strengthen women’s leadership capabilities and reduce constraints that prevent women and girls from participating in and influencing decisions. Gender gaps in leadership opportunities lead to a lack of women’s and girls’ voices in shaping policies, programs, and social life, which in turn perpetuates their unequal access to resources, services, and wealth. The Women’s Leadership funding priorities included: EVALUATION OF THE WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP PORTFOLIO: Women’s Leadership Overview of Evaluated Women’s Leadership Activities 1,000+ Innovative approaches to improving gender equitable development outcomes through women’s leadership Opportunities for scaling up existing activities Cross-sector approaches Selected a sample of 45 WLP activities funded 2009 – 2014 Quantitative and qualitative analysis of: EVALUATION METHODS USAID and implementing partner activity documents 82 telephone interviews with USAID and implementing partner staff 65 interviews in 6 countries with local beneficiaries 25 field interviews in 6 countries with local implementing partners This Briefing Note was produced for review by USAID and was prepared by Management Systems International, A Tetra Tech Company, for the E3 Analytics and Evaluation Project.The performance evaluation of the Women’s Leadership Portfolio is available at: https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00TNBB.pdf. The evaluation looked at Women’s Leadership interventions in activities across three WLP sub-portfolios: 22 of 45 WLP activities (49%) addressed Women’s Leadership, covering 39 countries where activities tackled gender gaps women and girls faced. Key interventions contributed to results in Women’s Leadership activities: Training and capacity development Institutional strengthening Increasing access to resources Policy, legal, and regulatory change Awareness raising and media campaigns Women’s leadership interventions empowered women and girls in three sectors: ECONOMIC GROWTH AND AGRICULTURE Partnerships Women’s Leadership WPS DEMOCRACY, HUMAN RIGHTS, AND GOVERNANCE PEACE AND SECURITY
Transcript
The Women’s Leadership Portfolio (WLP) advances USAID’s Gender Equality and Female Empowerment Policy and related U.S. strategies to enhance women’s and girls’ leadership and empowerment . Activities under the WLP are funded by the Women’s Leadership Directive, allocated annually by the U.S. Congress. USAID contracted a performance evaluation to better understand the portfolio’s characteristics, achievements, and challenges.
WLP CharacteristicsThis evaluation examined 45 activities that it divided into four sub-portfolios: Gender-Based Violence (GBV), Partnerships, Women’s Leadership, and Women, Peace, and Security (WPS). The Women’s Leadership Directive funds were transferred to missions and USAID/Washington operating units through solicitations and other funding requests. The Office of Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment and WPS fund managers from Washington provided in-depth guidance to country missions and other USAID offices.
Women’s Leadership Sub-Portfolio Characteristics Women’s Leadership activities strengthen women’s leadership capabilities and reduce constraints that prevent women and girls from participating in and influencing decisions. Gender gaps in leadership opportunities lead to a lack of women’s and girls’ voices in shaping policies, programs, and social life, which in turn perpetuates their unequal access to resources, services, and wealth. The Women’s Leadership funding priorities included:
EVALUATION OF THE WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP PORTFOLIO:
Women’s Leadership
Overview of Evaluated Women’s Leadership Activities
1,000+
Innovative approaches to improving gender
equitable development outcomes through
women’s leadership
Opportunities for scaling up existing
activitiesCross-sector approaches
Selected a sample of 45 WLP activities funded 2009 – 2014
Quantitativeand qualitative
analysis of:
EVALUATION METHODS
USAID and implementing partner activity documents
82 telephone interviews with USAID and implementing partner staff
65 interviews in 6 countries with local beneficiaries
25 field interviews in 6 countries with local implementing partners
This Briefing Note was produced for review by USAID and was prepared by Management Systems International, A Tetra Tech Company, for the E3 Analytics and Evaluation Project. The performance evaluation of the Women’s Leadership Portfolio is available at: https://pdf.usaid.gov/pdf_docs/PA00TNBB.pdf.
The evaluation looked at Women’s Leadership interventions in activities across three WLP sub-portfolios:
22 of 45 WLP activities (49%)
addressed Women’s Leadership, covering 39 countries
where activities tackled gender gaps women and
girls faced.
Key interventions contributed to results in Women’s Leadership activities:
Training and capacity development
Institutional strengthening
Increasing access to resources
Policy, legal, and regulatory change
Awareness raising and media campaigns
Women’s leadership interventions empowered women and girls in three sectors:
ECONOMIC
GROWTH AND AGRICULTURE
Partnerships Women’s Leadership
WPS
DEMOCRACY, HUMAN RIGHTS, AND GOVERNANCE
PEACE AND SECURITY
Achievements in Women’s Leadership The evaluated Women’s Leadership activities contributed to enhancing women’s and girls’ leadership and empowerment. The potential of these activities to reach individuals, institutions, policies, and communities increased their potential to impact gender equality and women’s empowerment in local systems through comprehensive approaches that combined multiple interventions. In addition to strengthening women’s and girls’ leadership:
Enhanced Laws, Policies, and Procedures6 activities established laws, policies, and procedures for
women’s and girls’ human rights. These activities increased their opportunities to pursue development and ensure their safety,
well-being, and diginity. These activities achieved results such as:
In Uganda, the parliament’s standing orders were amended to compel government agencies to submit progress reports on the status of implementing gender equality laws (Women’s Political Representation and Leadership-Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda); contributed to the drafting, discussion, and/or passing of 25 gender equality laws, policies, or procedures; and promoted laws to increase women’s political participation and equal access to land tenure (Pro-Decentralization-Peru).
Influenced Gender Norms 7 activities influenced gender norms to support women’s leadership and participation. These activities achieved results such as:
Women occupied 17 of 21 key positions in the credit union and achieved parity with men in membership of the Association for Well Water Users (Women’s Leadership and Civic Journalism-Senegal); and 137 women took up executive and managerial positions in Afro-Colombian community councils (Protierra-Colombia).
The training significantly empowered us to believe in ourselves and to develop a ‘can do mentality’ in many
aspects including business. The benefits went to our families and our communities. My family [is] supportive, and I encourage my sister and other close family friends
to be creative and become business minded.– Beneficiary, Women’s Leadership
Enhanced Women’s Leadership and Empowerment
All 22 Women’s Leadership activities increased the leadership and participation of women and girls, including 7 activities
that supported women’s economic empowerment, 10 activities that supported women’s political leadership and participation, and 5 activities that supported women’s leadership and participation in peacebuilding and security. These activities achieved results such as:
5,700 women reached with financial and legal literacy training (Go Women-Ukraine); 80% of women entrepreneurs saw increased business success (Women’s Leadership in Small and
Medium Enterprises [WLSME]-Kyrgyzstan); over 8,000 women and men trained on women’s political leadership and participation (Women’s Leadership in Devolved Governance-Kenya); and
81 women became members of 77 municipal and 4 departmental councils (Women’s Leadership and Civic Journalism-Senegal).
Two women with whom the [mentor] group started have been elected as members of parliament...A number of women who were incorporated into the technical working committee were trained for leadership and many of them have since been elected to various positions at national and county assemblies. We also managed to develop a blueprint for [realizing the] 2/3 gender rule in the county.
– Beneficiary, WPS
Strengthened Institutional Gender Capabilities
15 activities strengthened national and local institutional capabilities around gender. These
activities achieved results such as:
Produced a women’s leadership training program that the Ministry of Women adopted and published (Pro-Decentralization-Peru);
and strengthened women’s caucuses in three parliaments, using guidelines and training the program provided (Women’s Political
Representation and Leadership-Burundi, Rwanda, Uganda).
A woman measures cashews as part of the USAID-supported Agribusiness Leadership Network in Ethiopia.
Challenges and Lessons Learned in Women’s LeadershipMany of the WLP activities sought to change gender norms that restrict women’s roles and status. However, supporting norm change is a lengthy process, as novel ideas are adopted and norms shift.
Kenyan Women Parliamentarians Association at a press conference
at Parliament, where they announced their resolve to push
for implementation of the gender rule (Beyond Quotas-Kenya).
Credit: Evan Habil, Uraia Trust.
45 ActivitiesTHE EVALUATION EXAMINED
58 CountriesACROSS
WLP activities presentWLP activities present
WLP activities not present
Countries with Women’s Leadership activities and training participantsCountries with Women’s Leadership activities and training participants
Countries that sent participants to trainings and networking events, but were not a site of activity implementation
LESSON LEARNED Men and boys need to be engaged to address the
attitudes and beliefs that underpin systems of gender
inequality.
CHALLENGE Shorter timeframes can
hinder gender norm change, undermining long-term
sustainability of norm change.
• Activities should be designed and implemented to engage men and boys as allies (Women and Girls Lead Global). • Situate gender norm change as more than a “women’s issue” to a social process with recognized benefits for all members of society (Beyond Quotes-Kenya).
IN-DEPTH LESSONS LEARNED: WLSME KYRGYZSTAN
The evaluations of WLSME activities in India and Kyrgyzstan showed that
promoting women’s leadership in business is not enough to achieve
women’s economic empowerment.
• Women’s economic empowerment in business has greater impact when combined with access to finance, business development support, and gender norm change.• Gender norms exert powerful influences on women’s business decision-making and practices. These norms can reverse short-term successes over the long term, raising the importance of intentional gender norm change.
• Ownership by stakeholders should be built in from the start of an activity to ensure sustainability (Power to Lead). • Sustainability of gender interventions is more likely when sufficient time is devoted to develop local ownership throughout program implementation (Protierra-Colombia).
Conclusion and Recommendations for Women’s Leadership ProgramsLeadership capacity development for women and girls can remedy opportunity gaps, especially when capacity development is linked to opportunities for participation in economic or governance institutions and processes. Gender equality training and awareness-raising for institutions, households, and societies increase the scope for women
to participate successfully and influence decisions. Further, activities that target institutional gender capabilities, gender equality policies, and gender norms can strengthen the enabling environment for more women and girls to assume leadership opportunities.
Focus Women’s Leadership Directive funds on fewer, larger, and longer-term activities to increase the scale and sustainability of
their impacts.
Tailor shorter-term activities to existing needs and realistic opportunities.
Support local institutions that will sustain the work to build capacity and
Strengthen solicitations and guidance on activity design to focus on strategic entry
points and desired impacts.
In theories of change, link women’s leadership to desired outcomes.
Strengthen comprehensive approaches that combine interventions to achieve greater
gender equality and empowerment results. Consider entry points with significant potential for impact and sustainability.
Combine leadership development for women and girls with access to resources and
participation in institutions.
Sustain technical involvement by WLP sub-portfolio teams with activity managers and
gender advisors from missions and operating units, including conducting mid-term reviews
and providing ongoing technical guidance.
Formalize the Women’s Leadership team, similar to the WPS and GBV
teams, for ongoing oversight of Women’s Leadership activities.
Expand partnering with local gender institutions in the government, civil society, and the private sector as direct partners and as intermediaries with communities to build
local effectiveness and self-reliance.
Include partnering with local gender institutions as a key criterion for awarding
Women’s Leadership funds.
To build on the foundation of WLP programming and strengthen future Women’s Leadership activties, USAID should:
