Looking through Diplomatic Courier magazine’s 2012 list of Top Global Women, it comes as no surprise to see names such as President Dilma Rousseff and Aung San Suu Kyi, not to mention a number of impressive women’s rights activists. I am pleased, however, to see business women making more and more appearances on such international lists of influential women. I suppose this is occurring both because women are rising in the business world and because the importance of women’s economic leadership is increasingly recognized.

The 2012 list has executives like Cher Wang, co-founder of HTC of smartphone fame, and Chanda Kochhar, head of ICICI Bank. Significantly, leaders of chambers of commerce are recognized: Christine Martey-Ochola, co-founder of the Sub-Saharan Africa Chamber of Commerce; and Selima Ahmad, founder of the Bangladesh Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

Continue reading ‘Top Global Women’ »

SAARC Chamber Women Entrepreneurs Council which was established in the year 2001 in Sri Lanka, has been organizing events in Kathmandu, Nepal on the occasion of International Women’s Day with the objective of developing and promoting women entrepreneurs in the South Asian region.

On the occasion of 102nd International Women’s Month, SCWEC organized an event, “Women Chefs Taking Taste beyond Borders,” on 30th March, 2012 in Kathmandu, Nepal. The woman chefs were from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Nepal. It provided a platform to women chefs from South Asia to share their challenges and achievements of their career. It was an inspirational event for women looking forward to develop their career in the culinary industry.

Continue reading ‘Women Chefs Taking Taste Beyond Borders’ »

A recent post on the Harvard Business Review Blog Network (HBR) explores behaviors of women that can hold them back in the professional arena. The article cites studies which show that only half of women display high self-confidence while the other half admit to feelings of self-doubt regarding their performance. This lack of confidence translates into a reluctance to apply for jobs or promotions.

The article lists four ways women unintentionally sabotage the development of their careers. Included on the list are being overly modest, a reluctance to ask for help or about new opportunities, trying to blend in, and remaining silent instead of speaking up and adding to the discussion. All of these actions can lead to being overlooked in the workplace when a new job opens up or it is time for a promotion. Not necessarily due to a lack of ability, but because managers are not aware of their female employees’ capabilities. Continue reading ‘How Confidence Affects Women’ »

The Economist Intelligence Unit recently launched the 2012 Women’s Economic Opportunity Index (WEO).

The WEO is a new index that measures the policy and other inputs behind women’s economic participation, both as employees and business owners, in 128 countries. It uses information from other indexes, such as the World Bank’s “Women, Business, and the Law,” but it differs from other work in terms of its breadth.

The WEO measures more than just laws and regulations – it attempts to quantify and analyze difficult-to-quantify, yet important things like access to childcare. (Indeed, that is one of their indicators in the category of “Labor Practice.”)

This new index is useful because it can be an advocacy tool for groups looking to pressure policymakers on certain policy points. Because the WEO looks at input variables, rather than output variables, it helps provide background information for better suggestions about where and how countries should improve. Most other indexes are limited to demonstrating the extent of gender inequality. The WEO goes beyond that to try to explain why inequality exists.

The WEO report online weighs the variables in each category equally. However, a desktop tool is scheduled to come out that will allow users to weigh their own variables depending on what is most important to women’s economic opportunities in particular country contexts. That desktop tool will also provide a platform for comparing multiple countries side by side.

To learn more, I recommend you check out the Index. It is available online at http://www.eiu.com/public/topical_report.aspx?campaignid=weoindex2012.

Like other indexes, the WEO is a tool, not an end in itself.  Its usefulness depends on how it is used. Will you use it in your country?

Lauren Citrome
CIPE

Comment here or share a message with the Community of Women Entrepreneurs: partners@cipe.org

Women around the world are still underrepresented in the policymaking and economic spheres. One way for women to become active citizens is working with civil society organizations that have the tools and knowledge to help give them a voice and advocate for reform. That’s why CIPE launched the KnowHow mentorship program (KnowHow) last year on International Women’s Day. KnowHow connects volunteers with technical expertise to local associations around the world seeking their know-how.  To date, the program has successfully matched experienced business professionals with twelve associations from developing countries, ten of which are women’s business associations.

Here are some highlights of what’s been happening:

The Association of Business Women in Serbia (ABW-Serbia)  has been working with Peter O’Neil since last summer. They have a monthly conference call to improve on ABW’s pressing organizational issues, including fundraising, financing, and membership services.  O’Neil and Anastasia Jelasic, the Business Development Advisor for ABW, recently created ABW’s working plan for the year 2012, and are moving forward with the mentorship. As Jelasic noted, “ABW expects that this KnowHow mentorship will provide the organization with the knowledge and skills necessary for making our organization sustainable as Serbia joins the path to EU membership.”

Since December 2010, Russell McKinnon has been mentoring the Women Business Owners Jamaica (WBO),  an association that promotes the success of women business owners through education, research, mentorship, and networking. Through online meetings and document review and exchange, Russ works closely with WBO to strengthen the organization’s capacity and to develop sustainable revenue sources to better serve the needs of WBO’s members and stakeholders. Yaneek Page, the President of WBO, said that “a significant benefit to us thus far is the input and guidance of our [KnowHow mentor, Russ] in the development of a comprehensive three year strategic plan that’ll serve as a platform for WBO’s organizational growth, resilience and continuity.”

The Association of Businesswomen and Top Managers (AFAFCI) in Romania  – which aims to become one of the main representatives of the local business community for women – is working with Harriet Fader to identify the needs and values of AFAFCI’s 39 members. Through KnowHow, AFAFCI has been exposed to new strategies for increasing membership, networking activities for members to better connect and start partnerships, and ideas of community service projects. Delia Cojocaru, the Executive Director of AFAFCI, strongly believes that “exchanging experiences and best practices is essential for organization progress. CIPE’s KnowHow Exchange [is] a [great opportunity] that turned into a successful dialogue.”

Check out how other business associations in the program are improving their organizations through the KnowHow mentorships  and what the mentors think about assisting  associations in other countries. Two of the mentors, Peter O’Neil and Susan Sarfati, also shared their KnowHow experiences on video.

CIPE will continue working with women’s business associations to help empower them by growing their capacity. If you would like to help build women’s associations’ know-how , or if your association could benefit from getting a mentor, let us know!

Zimbabwe - CIPE’s partner the Women’s Alliance of Business Associations in Zimbabwe is hosting a series of breakfast meetings called ‘Breaking Financial Barriers to Success’ for women entrepreneurs as part of ongoing efforts to empower women entrepreneurs in Zimbabwe. Twenty two participants attended the meeting and interacted with a series of presenters, which included the Director of Women Affairs and Gender and Community Development, Research Manager for FBC Bank and the Business Development Manager for Micro King Finance. The Meeting was attended by the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZTV) which aired footage during the nightly news. CIPE is supporting WABAZ to empower women entrepreneurs in Zimbabwe through technical assistance, advocacy, and research on issues affecting women in business.

Comment here or share a message with the Community of Women Entrepreneurs: partners@cipe.org

The SAARC Chamber Women Entrepreneurs Council was established in the year 2001 in Sri Lanka, with the objective of developing and promoting women entrepreneurs in the South Asian region. The Council works towards facilitating co-operation and networking among the women of the SAARC region for the socio economic empowerment. The SCWEC Chair rotates country wise and at present Nepal has got the opportunity to head the Council.

Realizing the importance of a consolidated effort for synergy and effective advocacy through networking, SAARC Chamber Women Entrepreneurs Council (SCWEC) has been organizing an event in Kathmandu, Nepal on the occasion International Women’s Day since the year 2009. The event focuses on women’s strength and ingenuity from the South Asian region.

This year SCWEC is organizing a “Women Master Chef Event,” which has been scheduled to be held on 29th March, 2012 in Kathmandu, Nepal. Continue reading ‘International Women’s Day in Nepal’ »

Originally posted on CIPE’s Development Blog March 5, 2012

Haitian president Michel Martelly visits the women involved in drafting a National Platform of Action in Port-au-Prince on March 1, 2012. (Photo: Haitienne Magazine)

Originally posted by Sarah Gerrity on CIPE’s Development Blog on March 1, 2012.

Men are from Mars, women are from Venus – we’ve all heard that before. It’s no secret that the men and women are treated differently, but when it comes down to the heart of the matter, women are just as capable of success, if not more so, than their galactic counterparts.

With International Women’s Day fast approaching, CIPE is highlighting ways to help the movement for women’s empowerment. CIPE’s programs approach women’s empowerment through institutional reform, economic and political empowerment, and working with partner organizations to look beyond financial assistance – by helping women build leadership and business skills, CIPE focuses on preparing women for participation, whether they’re running a business, advocating legislative reforms, or simply making the world a better place for taking care of their families.

Continue reading ‘20 Empowered Women that You Should be Following on Twitter’ »

Women are the ultimate drivers of their own empowerment, but there are many things the private sector can do to facilitate their progress.

In The Business of Empowering Women, McKinsey & Company researchers examine what companies can do to contribute to women’s empowerment at every stage of a woman’s life, “from infancy through adolescence, income readiness, employment, entrepreneurship, and ultimately to financial security and leadership.” They make many suggestions, including enabling access to safe on-site childcare for employees, supporting scholarships for girls, and providing vocational and business-skills training.

Continue reading ‘Analyzing Returns on Investing in Women’ »