"We initiated this study to identify demand-led macro unlocks that can drive growth for urban women (primarily the homepreneur segment), taking the lens of mass entrepreneurship. The intent was to present opportunities to ecosystem stakeholders, such that innovation, interventions, policies and business models can emerge that can lead to a conducive environment creating a path to bringing more women into the labour force in India."

"Syngenta Foundation India (SFI), established in 2005, is an independent not-for-profit organisation. SFI’s mission is to have small and marginal farmers participate in agriculture development by improving their access to better seeds and other inputs, technology, information, credit and market access. In this context, SFI launched its Agri-Entrepreneur (AE) Program in 2014. Under the program a rural youth is trained as an entrepreneur who provides last mile services to a group of 150-200 farmers. Currently there are 1763 AEs under the program who are supporting over 2, 00,000 farmers across India.

Of the total AEs, 265 are women AEs who are currently active across 5 project locations, i.e; Bihar, Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Odisha and Andhra Pradesh. The objective of the study was to understand the performance of women AEs and create an enabling environment to improve income and increase participation. The study methodology is based on the integration of quantitative and qualitative research methods."

"This short guide outlines tips for how to apply a gender and inclusion lens while developing and reviewing communications materials. The intention is to provide basic guidance to a group of impact investors working as part of the “Investing in Women” initiative supported by Australian Aid’s DFAT program. It aims to serve as a starting point for thinking more deeply and critically about how gender inclusion and gender equality can be embedded into communications products and processes and coupled with gender-lens investing actions and processes that cut across entire operations of investment firms. Far from exhaustive, this guide is intentionally brief and designed to spur further research and inquiry."

"In India, women-owned micro, small, and medium enterprises struggle to obtain the financing they need. In early 2015, Swadhaar FinServe and RBL Bank launched an innovative business correspondent partnership to reduce the financing gap for MSMEs in India through a customized approach for MSME clients, with a particular focus on women-owned businesses. This Accion Insights paper examines lessons learned from the pilot program and can serve as a point of reference for financial institutions looking to reach the MSME market and female entrepreneurs, particularly through partnership."

"There are many ways in which investments can be made to address gender disparities and promote gender equity. Investors, managers, and businesses have various motivations and incentives when considering GLI. For this paper, we consider DAI’s work through the six “Gender Smart” lenses described below and discuss other frameworks and tools developed by GLI experts and investors."

"We assess the potential impact that closing this credit gap for women-owned SMEs can have on economic development, estimating the link between credit to SMEs and growth in income per capita. Our results suggest that closing the credit gap for women-owned SMEs in the BRICs and N-11 countries over the next few years could boost real income per capita growth rates in those countries by around 85bp on average. If the credit gap is closed by
2020, incomes per capita could be on average around 12% higher by 2030 across the BRICs and N-11, relative to our baseline scenario. Closing the credit gap for women-owned SMEs across the developing world as a whole could boost income per capita growth rates by over 110bp on average. While eliminating the whole gap is a tall order, the impact on growth could be dramatic.

"While the rise of the internet and online hiring practices can increase access to job opportunities for historically disadvantaged groups, an upsurge in the number of applications can lead managers to intentionally or unintentionally rely more heavily on demographic-based stereotypes. This type of discrimination is a challenge globally, and to counter these tendencies new and innovative tools are needed to reduce bias. We look specifically at the challenge of reducing gender bias in Indian hiring. Using data on hiring for full-time professional jobs in India from Shortlist, a hiring firm that is a leader in using bias-mitigating tools, we consider the validity of the global literature on gender discrimination in the Indian context.rm that is a leader in using bias-mitigating tools, we consider the validity of the global literature on gender discrimination in the Indian context."

"Part of IFC’s Women on Boards and in Business Leadership Program, the publication features the inspirational personal stories of 20 female business leaders and their advice to other female professionals aspiring to top positions. It highlights the positive impact of their leadership on private sector development in emerging and frontier markets. It also provides key gender facts and data on the status of women on boards and in business leadership around the world."

"Within the entrepreneurial community there is growing recognition of the benefits of diversity, and more specifically of investing in women and gender equality. Despite this rising interest, most investors and intermediaries working with social enterprises and small and growing businesses (SGBs) are still in the early stages of understanding how best to incorporate a gender lens. This knowledge brief aims to share lessons and innovations from the Brazilian ecosystem on bringing a gender lens to supporting Brazilian SGBs. It focuses on four key topics, which emerged through a series of engagements, convened by the Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) and supported by the Institute of Development Studies (IDS), to catalyse thought leadership on gender inclusion and investing in Brazil."

"Existe, na comunidade empresarial, um reconhecimento crescente dos benefícios proporcionados pela diversidade e, mais especificamente, pelo investimento em mulheres e na igualdade de gênero. Apesar deste interesse crescente, a maioria dos investidores e intermediários que trabalham com empresas sociais e pequenas e médias empresas em crescimento (SGBs), ainda estão dando os primeiros passos na compreensão da melhor forma de incorporar uma lente de gênero. Este estudo visa compartilhar lições e inovações do ecossistema brasileiro sobre como trazer essa lente para apoiar as SGBs brasileiras. O estudo se concentra em quatro tópicos-chave, que surgiram através de uma série de encontros, convocados pela Aspen Network of Development Entrepreneurs (ANDE) e apoiados pelo IDS, para catalisar a liderança do pensamento sobre inclusão de gênero e investimentos no Brasil."