
Challenge
Women are constrained in their economic activities and face significant challenges as they try to accumulate assets and pursue better paid and more productive jobs. Deeply rooted and restrictive social norms and women’s dual roles as caregivers and breadwinners limit their choices and access to opportunities.
Our approach
For five years, GrOW has generated knowledge to determine the best ways to overcome these obstacles. It has provided evidence to inform social and economic policies that improve poor women’s lives while promoting economic growth. GrOW has helped to enhance the research capacity of young and Southern-based researchers and the program promoted the use of research by decision-makers — and these efforts will continue.
The GrOW program has:
- Funded 14 research projects in 50 countries, primarily in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, with primary research in 18 countries and more than 45,000 participants interviewed;
- Promoted peer-learning and knowledge exchange between research partners to share best practices and strengthen capacities;
- Stimulated policy dialogue by helping research teams develop strategies for policy engagement and facilitating these interactions through conferences, workshops, and webinars;
- Synthesized evidence under emerging themes to fill critical knowledge gaps.
The CA$18 million program launched in 2013 in partnership with The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the UK’s Department for International Development.
Learn more about GrOW findings in our policy briefs and working papers.
Visit the GrOW Research Series.
Read project outputs and GrOW newsletters in IDRC’s Digital Library.
Research in action
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Research in Action
The power of collective action to achieve gender equality
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Research in Action
Empowerment through research: IDRC’s 10th Annual Public Meeting
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Research in Action
The high cost of unpaid care
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Research in Action
Climate change, mobility, and women’s economic empowerment in Pakistan
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Research in Action
GrOW briefs: From research to policy
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Research in Action
IDRC contributes to UN Report on fostering women’s economic empowerment
Perspectives
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Policy should address more than jobs to economically empower women
The role of women’s work in low-income contexts is a critical area for gender equality.
Author(s): Arjan de Haan
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Can South Asia address barriers to women’s paid work?
Around the world, gender disparities in education are decreasing and fertility rates are declining.
Author(s): Arjan de Haan
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Can more inclusive trade promote gender equality?
Trade is an important part of a country’s development processes and a crucial aspect of the global integration that marked the second half of the 20th century. But it has also been associated with growing inequalities — including gender — and has recently been considered the culprit of many social ills, as manifested in Brexit and the U.S. presidential election.
Author(s): Arjan de Haan
Publications and resources
Through books, articles, research publications, and studies, we aim to widen the impact of our investment and advance development research.