We know that gender inequality fuels the HIV epidemic and that women’s economic empowerment is a powerful tool to change gender relations. Does that mean that women’s economic empowerment can reduce women’s vulnerability to HIV? Evidence reveals the relationship may be more complicated. In 2015, young women (15-24) made up 20% of all new HIV infections (despite representing just 11% …
Lake Chad’s unseen crisis
Today Oxfam is launching Lake Chad’s Unseen Crisis, which tells the stories of people displaced by conflict in Niger and Nigeria. Oxfam’s Advocacy and Policy Lead in the Lake Chad Basin, Sultana Begum, shares with us what’s happening on the ground in the region. very year on 19th of August the world takes time out to recognize the work and …
Measuring WASH sustainability in a Payment by Results context
Payment by Results (PbR) is bringing new ways to fund water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) programmes. Here Mimi Coultas from Plan International UK, reflects on a recent joint side-event at WEDC Conference which explored the opportunities and challenges to this new way of funding. ustainability of WASH programmes is a key concern for everyone involved in the sector: country governments, …
An IMF that promotes gender equality? A long road lies ahead…
How can global institutions ensure tackling women’s economic empowerment is done in the most effective way? Sargon Nisson from the Bretton Woods Project, argues that the IMF could think differently. Gender is rising up the agenda of economic policy making. This year we have seen a step-change in how global economic institutions consider women’s economic empowerment. However the nature of …
Don’t be naïve, power is serious business
In this latest addition to our Her Series, Oxfam America’s Director of Policy & Research, Gawain Kripke, shares his views on why the development community must prioritize women’s economic empowerment. he development community should recognize that women’s economic empowerment is a threat to established power holders. Women’s economic empowerment is a growing subsector within the development field. There’s a lot …
Older women: Invisible linchpins of the household economy
Older women are often over looked in policy making and programme development in tackling unpaid care. As part of our Her Series, Kate Horstead from Age International offers her perspective on why we must not forget this group. he global crescendo of voices calling out for women’s economic empowerment is getting harder for policymakers to ignore. But amid those diverse …
“If young people want change, they can achieve it”: International Youth Day 2016
This International Youth Day, Oxfam is supporting youth activists from all over the world to campaign on inequality issues at the World Social Forum 2016 in Montreal. Below, six youth leaders from Oxfam’s My Rights, My Voice (MRMV) programme talk about their experiences of lobbying on rights to health and education services. ith their energy, skills and creativity, young people in …
A note on the ethics of changing norms
In this addition to our Her Series Dr. Elise Klein, a Lecturer of Development Studies at Melbourne University, shares with us with her views on how we should be tackling gendered norms as part of women’s economic empowerment. This blog post draws on a background paper being prepared by Dr. Klein for the UN High Level Panel for Women’ s Economic Empowerment. hanging …
Why ‘care’ about development?
In this second instalment of our Her Series, Belén Sobrino from Oxfam Intermon sets the case to keeping unpaid care work high on the SDG agenda, and reminds us of the importance in ensuring we reduce the the burden of care, not just the work itself. omen around the world invest 2.5 times more time than men in unpaid care …
Tale of Buguru Chitamma: How a cooperative transformed fisher women into leaders
How can cooperatives help women to lead and take control of their livelihoods? In the first of our new ‘Her Series’ pieces, Savvy Soumya & Ranjana Das from Oxfam India takes us through an initiative in Odisha where women are working together in fishing communities. With a striking red bindi, about the size of a coin, and a radiant smile …