Pathways to Gender Equality and Poverty Reduction for Women and Girls

The research project aims to strengthen evidence to inform policies and practices to reduce poverty and vulnerability of women and girls in poor communities. The research focuses on women’s economic empowerment and sexual and reproductive health. It seeks to identify harmful or discriminatory social norms and examine how they constrain women and girls’ potential by increasing social exclusion poverty and vulnerability. The research findings which are shared with local communities governments research organizations and civil society organizations identify effective measures in policies and programs that would mitigate or remove discriminatory social norms and strengthen women and girls’ empowerment and gender equality. The research findings contribute to the Advancing Learning and Innovation on Gender Norms program and the Gender Adolescence: Global Evidence program. This project is designed to contribute to research and knowledge sharing.

The expected outcomes for this project include: (1) enhanced understanding among development actors of how discriminatory gender norms limit women and girls’ empowerment and socio-economic wellbeing as well as their full economic and political participation; and (2) enhanced intersectoral collaboration and knowledge exchange among policy and program actors working to address discriminatory gender norms that perpetuate poverty and vulnerability.