Knowledge Hub
Investing in Women holds a thought-leadership responsibility to contribute to advance knowledge building to strengthen the business case of women’s economic empowerment and gender equality.
Search the Knowledge Hub
Knowledge Hub
Investing in Women holds a thought-leadership responsibility to contribute to advance knowledge building to strengthen the business case of women’s economic empowerment and gender equality.
Search the Knowledge Hub
Search the Knowledge Hub
Impact Investing
Guidance note for action: Supporting SMEs to ensure the economic COVID-19 recovery is gender-responsive and inclusive
June 2020
This document illustrates how the challenges faced by women entrepreneurs in starting and retaining a business are likely to increase in the wake ...
Diego and Theresa Buenaflor – The Hustle Behind Ellana Cosmetics
May 2020
In this podcast, Theresa and Diego Buenaflor share the story of how they lifted Ellana Cosmetics from its humble beginnings and transformed it ...
Women in Agriculture Initiative – Annual Report 2019
May 2020
This report provides data and insights on the milestones of Root Capital’s Women in Agricultural Initiative for 2019. A partner of Investing in ...
Guidance Note for Action: Women as a force for accelerated and inclusive economic recovery post-COVID-19 in Asia-Pacific
May 2020
This brief introduces a strong gender perspective to the COVID-19 crisis and response and provides recommendations on how to apply a gender-responsive approach ...
Interim Key Messages | Flexible funding for humanitarian response and COVID-19
May 2020
This note provides recommendations and key messages reflecting IASC commitments, aligned with Grand Bargain principles aimed at providing assistance to people in need ...
The Secretary-General’s UN COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund
May 2020
This document summarises the scope of the United Nations COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund and governance structure.
Investing in Women Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning from Phase 1
April 2020
Investing in Women showed significant progress in women’s economic empowerment through its four program components in its first phase, from 2016-2019. This ...
Shared responsibility, global solidarity: Responding to the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19
April 2020
Published by the United Nations Sustainable Development Group, this report describes the speed and scale of COVID-19, the severity of reported cases, and ...
2020 Philippine Startup Survey
April 2020
This report presents data, insights and stories gathered through a survey of 111 startup founders and 31 investors in the Philippines, conducted by PwC.
Impact Investing Video Series: Women’s SME Financing Gap
April 2020
An estimated 70.7% of women-owned enterprises remain unserved or underserved by formal financial institutions. This creates a financing gap of at least USD 287 Billion. ...
Impact Investing Video Series: Gender Lens Investing
April 2020
Economic growth is more robust and sustainable when men and women can fully participate in the economy. However, women continue to be underrepresented ...
Impact Investing Video Series: Impact Investing in South East Asia
April 2020
Impact investing in South East Asia is expected to continue growing because of large market opportunities, economic growth and demographic trends. Want to ...
Impact Investing Video Series: Blended Finance for Women’s Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)
April 2020
Blended finance combines development finance and philanthropic funds to mobilise more private capital for social and environmental causes, creating more financing opportunities for ...
Impact Investing Video Series: What is Women’s Economic Empowerment?
April 2020
A woman is economically empowered when she has both the ability to advance and succeed economically; and has the power to make and ...
SEAF’s Gender Equality Scorecard
April 2020
SEAF’s Gender Equality Scorecard (GES) is a tool for assessing women’s economic empowerment and gender equality within investment opportunities and portfolio ...
Investing in Women Case Study Series: Capital 4 Development Partners
October 2019
This case study is part of a series of case studies detailing IW’s blended finance structures with four reputable global impact investors ...
Investing in Women Case Study Series: Patamar Capital
October 2019
This case study is part of a series of case studies detailing Investing in Women’s blended finance structures with four reputable global ...
Investing in Women Case Study Series: Root Capital
October 2019
This case study is part of a series of case studies detailing Investing in Women’s blended finance structures with four reputable global ...
Investing in Women Case Study Series: SEAF Women’s Opportunity Fund
October 2019
This case study is part of a series of case studies detailing Investing in Women’s blended finance structures with four reputable global ...
Serving the financial needs of women-owned businesses in emerging markets: Perspectives from the DGGF Portfolio
September 2019
Through this study, the Dutch Group Growth Fund (DGGF) sought to identify the extent of its reach of female entrepreneurs and gain a ...
The 2018 State of Women-Owned Businesses Report
September 2019
This report provides information on sociodemographic characteristics that influence overall movement in the women-owned business sector in the United States.
Impact Investing in Asia: Overcoming Barriers to Scale
September 2019
This report provides a snapshot of the experiences and insights of stakeholders from the Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN), as well as recommendations ...
Unlocking the Potential of Frontier Finance
September 2019
This report assesses key features of frontier finance impact investments and finds significant opportunity for making an impact in this sector.
Communications and Gender Checklist: Things to Consider
July 2019
This short guide outlines tips for how to apply a gender and inclusion lens while developing and reviewing communications materials.
East Asia Forum Quarterly Vol.11 No.1: Investing in Women
March 2019
This issue of EAFQ touches on key economic and social questions that affect gender equality in South East Asia and East Asia, delving ...
Moving toward gender balance in private equity and venture capital
March 2019
This report explores the link between financial returns and gender diversity; the lack of women in the industry; and steps needed to achieve ...
Catalytic Capital for Women’s Economic Empowerment: Report of the External Review of Component 2 of the Investing in Women Initiative
February 2019
This report summarises the findings and recommendations of the external review of Component 2 (C2) on impact investing of the Investing in Women Initiative (...
Investing in Women Phase 2 Investment Design Document Update
February 2019
This updated Investment Design Document for Investing in Women reflects the opportunities and constraints of the evolving operational environments; the policy and budgetary ...
Gender Lens Investing Tool: Designing an Action Plan
November 2018
This toolkit for gender lens investing supports the design of an investment strategy with considerations for how gender dynamics might present risks and ...
The Landscape for Impact Investing in Southeast Asia
August 2018
This report provides a comprehensive analysis of impact investing activity and trends between 2007 and 2017 in 11 countries: Brunei, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, ...
The power of parity: Advancing women’s equality in Asia Pacific
April 2018
This report from the McKinsey Global Institute explores the challenge of gender inequality in Asia Pacific and considers what it will take to ...
Entrepreneurship Development Interventions for Women Entrepreneurs
February 2018
This report presents key findings of interventions promoting small and medium enterprises as a means to create more and better jobs.
APEC Gender Inclusion Guidelines
November 2017
This report offers guidance on how to integrate gender-responsive approaches into APEC Fora, Strategic and Work Plans, Annual Reports and Projects. It complements ...
The Global Gender Gap Report 2017
November 2017
The report benchmarks 144 countries on their progress towards gender parity and provides country rankings that allow for effective comparisons across regions and income ...
Women-owned enterprises in Vietnam: Perceptions and potential
October 2017
This report exposes misconceptions facing women entrepreneurs in Vietnam and elucidates the opportunities for banks and related service providers to meet their needs.
Strengthening Women’s Entrepreneurship in ASEAN
September 2017
This report analyses the policy landscape, identifies gaps, and proposes recommendations to advance the role of women in the labour market, as entrepreneurs ...
Moving Toward Gender Diversity in Southeast Asia
September 2017
This report analyses interviews with executives from over 25 prominent companies in Southeast Asia to understand their perspectives on diversity, the obstacles they have ...
Entrepreneurship and the entrepreneur: A literature review
July 2017
This report undertakes a review of the literature on entrepreneurship and the entrepreneur, with a focus on understanding how levels of economic development ...
Female Entrepreneurship in Asia: The Case of Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Vietnam
April 2017
This report concentrates on the significance given to female entrepreneurship in Japan, South Korea, Malaysia and Vietnam, and on the policies pursued to ...
Feminism And Gender Equality Around The World
March 2017
This report provides an overview of the state of feminism and gender equality around the world based on survey results from across 24 countries.
Work and Economic Participation in the Philippines
March 2017
This factsheet from the Philippine Statistics Authority focuses on the latest statistical updates on women and men in the country. The 2017 edition contains 84 ...
Women and Men in the Philippines
December 2016
This report is the fourth in a series of statistical handbooks and presents the available and relevant gender statistics in the Philippines from 2000 ...
The CS Gender 3000: The Reward for Change
September 2016
This report explores the link that exists between diversity and improved business performance, and the measures the progress made on structural changes and ...
Gender-related Obstacles to Vietnamese Women Entrepreneurs
December 2010
This report analyses the traditional, regulatory, and internal gender-based obstacles that influence Vietnamese women entrepreneurs in starting and running their businesses and provides ...
Women’s Entrepreneurship Development in Vietnam
September 2007
This report provides a detailed analysis of the roles, constraints, obstacles, opportunities and development of women entrepreneurs in Vietnam.
Gender Equality and Women’s Issues in Vietnam: The Vietnamese Woman — Warrior and Poet
December 2001
This article provides a detailed analysis of “Vietnamese feminism,” and explores the concept of a positive collective identity of Vietnamese women – something with ...
Investing in Women: Early stage Investment models
August 2018
This is the 2nd edition in a series of reports exploring the difficulties around raising capital for women’s small to medium enterprises, ...
Tailoring Finance for Women’s SMEs
August 2018
The 1st in a series, this publication focuses on Ernst and Young’s (EY)’s commentary on topics such as tailoring finance for ...
Women’s Economic Empowerment Framework
January 2018
This report provides a framework for monitoring Investing in Women’s contribution to the goal of accelerating women’s economic empowerment in Southeast ...
Myanmar Country Context Paper
January 2018
This country context paper provides an overview of women’s contribution to Myanmar’s economy as farmers, entrepreneurs and wage workers, and identifies ...
Vietnam Country Context Paper
January 2018
This country context paper provides an overview of women’s contribution to the Vietnamese economy as farmers, entrepreneurs and wage workers, and identifies ...
Indonesia Country Context Paper
January 2018
This country context paper provides an overview of Indonesian women’s participation in the labour market and as entrepreneurs, and identifies key barriers ...
Philippines Country Context Paper
January 2018
This country context paper provides an overview of women’s participation in the labour market and as entrepreneurs in the Philippines, and identifies ...
Women and Entrepreneurship in Vietnam
July 2017
This report examines the state of small to medium enterprises in Vietnam, and the contribution that women-owned businesses make to the Vietnamese economy.
Women and Entrepreneurship in the Philippines
July 2017
This report examines the state of small to medium enterprises in the Philippines, and the contribution that women-owned businesses make to the Philippine ...
Women and Entrepreneurship in Indonesia
July 2017
This report examines the state of small to medium enterprises in Indonesia, and the contribution that women-owned businesses make to the Indonesian economy.
Entrepreneurship and the entrepreneur: A literature review
July 2017
This report undertakes a review of the literature on entrepreneurship and the entrepreneur, with a focus on understanding how levels of economic development ...
Voices of women in entrepreneurship
July 2017
This report examines the nature of women’s entrepreneurship, and the characteristics and challenges that are specific to women entrepreneurs.
Stories of women-owned enterprises: Tòhe (Vietnam)
July 2017
This report showcases Tòhe: a woman-owned social enterprise in Vietnam. The case study tells the story of the business and explores the ...
Gender equality and empowerment – key concepts
January 2017
This report explores key concepts around gender equality and empowerment, emphasising the dual importance of gender equality policies and an enabling institutional environment.
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