Women's economic empowerment

Simegn’s journey began when she first joined a self-help group, saving five or ten birr each week. “I saved up enough to invest in a mini shop,” she says. Today, the shop, along with her sales of Ethiopian traditional beer, (tela), provides a steady, if modest, income for the family.

The COVID-19 crisis cost women around the world at least $800 billion in lost income in 2020, equivalent to more than the combined GDP of 98 countries, said Oxfam today.  

This paper takes a closer look at the gendered impact of conventional macroeconomic policies supported by the International Monetary Fund in its loan programmes for Egypt, Jordan and Tunisia since 2012.

Oxfam's response to today’s announcement that Christine Lagarde is stepping down as Managing Director (MD) of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), effective on September 12, 2019.

The Group of Seven leaders must agree on concrete steps to combat women’s economic inequality and make the economy work for women, said Oxfam on the eve of the summit in Quebec, Canada.

This joint agency paper presents research conducted among women and men small business owners in central and northern Jordan on the challenges they face. It aims to contribute to the economic self-reliance, resilience and stability of Syrian refugees and vulnerable host communities in Jordan.