WEED project: Empowering women in local economies

Drawing on the workshop presentations and findings as well as the work of Professor Gill Scott, Lead Expert for the WEED project, the project has look at why economic empowerment for women matters and how local authorities can integrate gender equality with local economic development to help develop new models for sustainable economies.

Although gender equality has always been high on the EU policy agenda, women continue to have lower employment rates than men and to receive significantly lower pay. As Europe struggles to recover from the impacts of the global recession, stimulating economic growth is the key priority for national, regional and local authorities in all Member States. Women’s spending power and potential for enterprise development represent critically important resources for economic development which can be used as a route out of recession. Failure to address women’s poor position in the labour market represents not only a lost opportunity for stimulating economic growth but leaves women at significantly greater risk of poverty than men.

With 2010 designated the European Year for Combating Poverty and Social Exclusion, and with social inclusion a headline target in the Europe 2020 agenda, the time is right to give greater focus to the higher risks of poverty faced by women as a result of the gender pay gap, inequality in employment opportunities, the current threats of higher unemployment, widespread inequalities in pension provision and other factors.

The challenge facing policy makers and practitioners is how to increase women’s
power in the labour market. More specifically:

• How to encourage public and private employers to alter highly gendered environments;
• How to encourage employees to consider and prepare for new sectors of employment;ow to encourage more family friendly practices and greater reconciliation of home and work.
• How to encourage more family friendly practices and greater reconciliation of home and work.

While these represent considerable challenges for national and regional policy makers, the specific challenge for WEED partners is to identify and implement what works at the local level. This is no easy task for local authorities that are working within a context of legislation and policy determined at EU or national level and of funding programmes operating to national or regional priorities.

The WEED workshop examined what local authorities can do to support women's economic empowerment, drawing on examples of successful initiatives from across the EU.While the importance of wider, regional or national, support was acknowledged as important to the success of local actions, the emphasis was on identifying local approaches. Amongst the tools available to local authorities, gender proofing public procurement was highlighted as an important way of integrating gender equality with local economic development. Workshop contributors examined whether social enterprise is an area of economic activity which offers greater opportunities for women’s economic participation or entrepreneurship.

The challenges facing Europe was highlighted when it comes to gender equality at work and promoting new ways of working towards it that bring economic and social justice benefits to local economies. The workshop also showed the diverse and innovative ways in which WEED partners are responding to the challenges of empowering women’s economic participation. It is clear that no ‘one size fits all’ but it is also clear that commitment to gender equality and the reduction of poverty through smaller city based approaches can establish the basis for improved income and earnings for women.


Read more:

• Download WEED_newsletter_number_4_____24_June_2010_.pdf (568.86 KB) – PDF
• Reports and presentations to the WEED workshop on 'promoting better work and social enterprise for women' – URBACT website
• WEED – URBACT website