Peru banned child marriage: here are three ways longitudinal research helped to make that happen

Kath FordGender, Influencing, Research

What does it take to persuade policy makers to make real progressive change? Kath Ford explains how Oxford University’s Young Lives study found success with a combination of robust longitudinal data, translating research into policy influencing and, crucially, relationships built painstakingly over many years.

Land is at the heart of women’s rights in the Global South: so why no mention of it in this year’s UN political declaration?

Naomi ShadrackGender, Land rights, Women's Economic Empowerment

While the landmark Beijing declaration 30 years ago on women’s rights mentioned land rights 30 times, this year’s UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) declaration fails to mention them at all. Naomi Shadrack explains why we need to put land firmly back on the global feminist agenda.

Austerity is creating fertile ground for the far-right: instead the UK must invest to fix its social infrastructure

Amy BrookerIn the news, Poverty in the UK, Women's Economic Empowerment

The UK government needs to listen to Iceland’s progressive prime minister when she says robust welfare policies are the antidote to far-right extremism. And what’s more, investing in social infrastructure – in care, in health, in schools – is essential to driving the growth the government wants, says Amy Brooker of the Women’s Budget Group.

Why the UK must take a bold stance against global attacks on women’s rights

Gender and Development NetworkAid, Gender, Rights

Amid a worldwide backlash against women’s rights, and after its own aid cuts that further threaten those rights, it has never been more urgent for the UK government to speak up loudly for global gender equality, says the Gender and Development Network.

Why the campaign for reparations must put gender justice at its heart

Lurit Yugusuk and Hazel BirungiLand rights, Research, Women's Economic Empowerment

Millions of women in the Global South earn a pittance, own no wealth or land and do far more unpaid care than men – and much of their condition today can be traced back to the economic devastation caused by both colonialism and the extractive economic system it created. That’s why any plan for redress must include justice for women. In the latest blog in our World Economic Forum series, Lurit Yugusuk and Hazel Birungi set out five ways to do that…

Want an economy that works for women? Keep care services public – and fund them properly

Myrah Nerine ButtGender, Private sector, Women's Economic Empowerment

Deep cuts to public spending or abandoning provision to profit-making providers will not deliver the decent services millions of women so urgently need, say Myrah Nerine and Rachel Noble.

Is your business reinforcing gender injustice? Here are four ways to spot the risks and challenge discrimination 

Jiselle SteeleGender, Private sector, Women's Economic Empowerment

Firms are under growing pressure to identify and respond to adverse impacts and show how they apply a “gender lens” to the way they do business. Jiselle Steele of the Oxfam Business Advisory Service explores what that means — and how to reduce negative impacts in supply chains on women and marginalised groups. And you can get expert guidance live at our webinar on 17 September. 

When will the ‘grand bargain’ deliver a better deal for women’s organisations in Pakistan?

Sarah ZafarHumanitarian, Participation and Leadership, Power Shifts

How can local Women’s Rights Organisations benefit from the global pledge to channel 25% of global humanitarian funding to groups like theirs when they haven’t even heard of it? Sarah Zafar and Shahnawaz Ali on insights from conversations with Pakistani WROs into what they need to flourish.

How can African women and girls make their voices heard in climate action?

Ilse KithembeClimate Change, Gender, Research

Women across the continent, especially in rural and coastal areas, are paying a heavy price for the climate emergency, so why are they so often missing from key areas of influence such as climate research and national environment ministries? Ilse Kithembe sets out five ways to tackle Africa’s environmental gender gap, as Oxfam in Senegal launches a new paper on boosting the role of communities in climate action.