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ABCs of IDA—Gender

For almost 60 years, the International Development Association (IDA) has taken on the most difficult and complex challenges. Learn more about how IDA works and what it has achieved —explore our ABCs of IDA on Africa, gender, conflict and fragility, climate change, jobs and economic transformation, and governance and institutions.

Overview

Gender equality is a key priority for the International Development Association (IDA). IDA works to close gender gaps by bringing—and keeping—girls in school, helping women gain access to land titles and other vital assets, and ensuring they can obtain financing to start businesses. (In pdf: EN | AR | ES | FR | RU | ZH) )

Gender inequality affects girls and women throughout their life. In many IDA countries, girls’ average educational attainment remains lower than for boys and adult women are less literate than men. Women are less likely to join the labor force and be paid for their work. When they do, they are more likely to work part-time, in the informal sector, or in occupations that have lower pay.

These disadvantages translate into large economic costs not only for them, but also for their households and countries. Achieving gender equality would have dramatic benefits for women and girls’ welfare and agency. This, in turn, would greatly benefit their households and communities, and help IDA countries reach their full development potential.

IDA is uniquely suited to support gender equality outcomes, which require integrating work across multiple sectors and sustaining efforts over long periods. Many challenges remain. But, as the examples here illustrate, IDA’s work is yielding results and helping close gender gaps in many countries.

Be sure to see our other “ABCs” (achievements by country) of IDA1, including our work on governance and institution building, climate change, jobs and economic transformation, and conflict and fragility at http://ida.worldbank.org/abcs.

1 The countries included in this brochure are currently eligible for IDA support. To learn more, please visit http://ida.worldbank.org/about/borrowing-countries

A

AFGHANISTAN

  • From 2010–18, 81,880 people were provided with sustainable employment opportunities through rural enterprises, with women making up 52% of the beneficiaries.

B

BANGLADESH

  • From 2015–18, 939,094 people benefited from a livelihood project, 95% of whom were women. 3,095 infrastructure sub-projects were completed with community participation, while 471,671 people were benefited from these sub-projects. 98.5% of the community-based decision were made by women and 29,893 youths were provided with job opportunities.
  • From 2016–18, 3,500 lecturers were recruited, and 50,000 non-government teachers were accredited, benefiting 1.8 million students, of whom 828,000 were girls.
  • One million small-scale farmers, of whom 33% were women, benefited from increased market access in 2018, up from 397,600 in 2015. During the same period, 165,683 farmers adopted new agricultural technologies to increase productivity. From 2014–18, 2.3 million people were provided with improved urban living conditions, of whom 550,000 were women. 75% of the beneficiaries were satisfied with basic urban municipal services. In addition, from 2016–18, 517 kilometers of non-rural roads were rehabilitated.

BENIN

  • From 2014–18, 19,790 underemployed youths were trained in employment skills and/ or employment opportunities were provided to underemployed youth, of whom 51.4% were women. 2,991 youths received a Certificat de Qualification Professionnelle for mastery of trade skills. 14,342 youths satisfactorily completed small business and life skills training, and 1,069 master artisans received skills upgrades.
  • From 2013–18, 91.6% of children aged under two benefited from a package of monthly growth promotion activities. 28,343 women with children under age five children were trained in the production of nutritious foods. During the same period, 13.4 million people in Benin received essential health, nutrition, and population services.

BURKINA FASO

  • From 2014–18, 443,081 people, of whom 53% were women, were benefited through a social safety net project.

C

CAMBODIA

  • In 2018, 13.2 million people received essential health, nutrition, and population services, of which 7.8 million were women. 37,267 women were screened for cervical cancer and 2.5 million people were treated through outpatient services.
  • In 2017–18, 19,760 students were benefited from a secondary education improvement project— with women accounting for 77.6%—and 100% of schools conducted teacher assessment based on an established professional standard.

CAMEROON

  • From 2014–18, 15,020 farmers adopted improved agricultural technology. During the same period, 7.5 million tons of cassava cuttings and 10,500 tons of bio-fortified cassava varieties were distributed. 7,396 women benefited from labor-saving technologies and equipment. 912 farms adopted bio-fortified varieties.
  • From 2016–18, 2.7 million people received essential health and nutrition services, of whom 1.5 million were women. In 2018, 49.3% of births in the Northern and East regions were attended by a skilled professional, up from 37.6% in 2016. From 2016–18, 290,348 children were immunized, and 2.1 million women and children received basic nutrition services, and 319,912 health consultations were provided to the poor and vulnerable at free of charge.

CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC

  • From 2017–18, 63,250 displaced people benefited from safety net programs, of whom 60% were women. 8,250 households benefited from cash transfers and 12,650 people were provided with access to basic services and infrastructure.
  • From 2012–18, 4.6 million pregnant women and women with children benefited through better utilization of maternal and child health services. 140,894 births were attended by a trained professional in a health facility in 2018, up from 26,500 in 2012. During the same period, 81,301 children were immunized, up from 31,360.
  • In 2018, 2.9 million people were provided access to basic health, nutrition, or reproductive health services, up from 400,000 in 2012. During the same time, 355,839 mothers received two doses of intermittent preventive treatment for malaria during their last pregnancy, up from 1,312.

CHAD

  • From 2014–18, 56,681 people received essential health, nutrition, and population services. 21,600 children were immunized, and 21,131 women and children received basic nutrition services. In 2018, 16,950 births were attended by a skilled health professional.

COMOROS

  • From 2015–18, 26,936 pregnant, lactating women, adolescent girls, and children under age five were reached by basic nutrition services. 5,945 children under age two benefited from improved IYCF practices.
  • From 2015-18, 4,217 people benefited through cash-for-work, food-for-work, and public works programs, of whom 68% were women.

CONGO, DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF

  • From 2014–18, 970,204 people from communities affected by forced displacement benefited from a livelihood support program, of whom 48.9% were women. 1,532 people benefited through cash-for-work, food-for-work, and public works programs. 581,715 days of work were generated, of which 269,800 days were for women.

CONGO, REPUBLIC OF

  • In 2017, 1.9 million people benefited from a health project, up from 900,000 in 2015, of whom 1.5 million were women. 89,118 children were immunized in 2017, up from 47,000 in 2015. 67.7% of pregnant women received at least 3 antenatal care visits before delivery in 2017, up from 31% in 2015. 20.5% of children between 6 and 59 months of age received nutritional services in 2017, up from 10% in 2015. Percentage of women counseled and tested for HIV was 76.7% in 2017, up from 15% in 2015.

CÔTE D'IVOIRE

  • In 2018, 100% of the children were vaccinated against diphtheria, tetanus, and whooping cough.
  • From 2015–18, 4.95 million people were provided with access to a basic package of health, nutrition, or reproductive health services, and 97 health facilities were constructed or renovated.
  • From 2015–18, 143,151 births were delivered at a health facility and attended by a trained health professional. 9,045 severely malnourished children were identified and treated. 371,640 of women received antenatal care during a visit to a health provider.

D

DJIBOUTI

  • From 2014–18, 96,362 pregnant and lactating women, adolescent girls and children under age 5 received basic nutrition services, up from 7,117, and 69,492 women received antenatal care, up from 6,100. During the same period, 24,023 women gave birth attended by a qualified health practitioner, up from 1,026. 78.5% of children were fully immunized before their first birthday in 2018, up from 33% in 2012.
  • From 2014–18, 1.9 million people received essential health, nutrition, and population (HNP) services, of whom 190,385 were women. 92,363 women and children received basic nutrition services.

E

ETHIOPIA

  • From 2012–18, 15,525 women successfully completed training in technical, vocational, and entrepreneurship and their average yearly earnings increased by 28%.
  • From 2017–18, Eight million people in rural areas benefited from a safety net program, of whom 51% were women. A women entrepreneurship project increased the earnings and employment of Micro and Small Enterprise (MSE) owned or partly owned by female entrepreneurs. Yearly average business earnings were USD 3,398 in 2018, up from USD 2,414 in 2012. The number of hours worked for MSE per week was 295 hours in 2018, up from 179 in 2012.

G

THE GAMBIA

  • 71,743 births were attended by a skilled health professional in 2018, up from 8,885 in 2013. Increased utilization of maternal and child health services provided 411,577 children between 6 and 59 months with Vitamin A supplements in 2017, up from 70,000 in 2014.
  • 168,110 pregnant women received iron and folic acid supplements in 2017, up from 9,000 in 2014. During the same period, 804,189 women and children received basic nutrition services, up from 90,000 in 2014.

GHANA

  • From 2010–18, 13.6 million days of employment were provided to a total of 167,235 workers, of whom 65% were women.

GUINEA

  • From 2014–18, 1.8 million people, of whom 52% were women, benefited from better technical performance of the national power utility.
  • 44.282 births were attended by a skilled health professional in 2018, up from 27,227 in 2016. 66% of children (0-11 months) were fully vaccinated, up from 57% in 2016.
  • From 2017–18, 708,684 people benefited from a community-supported project that strengthened the local government and improved service delivery in rural communities, of whom 43% were women.

GUINEA-BISSAU

  • From 2010–18, 169,684 people benefited from a rural community-driven development project, of whom 49.5% were women.

H

HAITI

  • The share of pregnant women receiving prenatal care increased from 25% to 31% and fully vaccinated children under-five went up from 41% to 50%, from 2015–17.

K

KENYA

  • 4.5 million people, of whom 2.3 million were women, benefited from Kenya's national safety net program for the poor and vulnerable in 2018, up from 1.65 million in 2013.
  • 63% of births were attended by a skilled health professional in 2018, up from 57% in 2016. 48% of pregnant women attended at least four antenatal care visits in 2018, up from 40% in 2015.
  • From 2016–18, 3.6 million people received essential health, nutrition, and population services, 1.9 million children were immunized, and 1.7 million births were attended by a skilled professional.

L

LAO PEOPLE'S DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC

  • From 2014–18, 462 fully furnished pre-primary classrooms were provided with water and sanitation facilities, and 25,111 students received meals prepared at school. During the same period, 48,213 people directly benefited from this project, with women making up 46% of the beneficiaries.
  • From 2015–18, 255,424 births were attended by skilled health practitioner at home or at a health facility and 261,094 children aged between 6 and 11 months received the first dose of Vitamin A. From 2017–18, 155,554 children were immunized.
  • In 2018, 79,662 pregnant women attended four or more antenatal care visits, up from 54,802 in 2014, and 235,872 women received free maternity health care services, up from 47,066 in 2014. From 2014–18, 672,072 people received essential health, nutrition, and population services.

M

MADAGASCAR

  • From 2015–18, 757,317 rural poor benefited from a safety net project, of whom 78% were women. From 2015–18/19, 101,010 pregnant and lactating women, adolescent girls, and children under age five were provided with basic nutrition services.

MALAWI

  • From 2013–18, 10,550 students benefited from a skills development program, of whom 30% were women.
  • From 2015–18, 985,635 people benefited from a public works program created after the 2015 floods, of whom 53% were women. During the same period, 129,455 people benefited through social cash transfer and 123,003 people were trained on livelihood development activities.

MALI

  • From 2014–18, 34,230 youth aged between 15–35 years were trained through a skills development program, of whom 32% were women.
  • From 2014–18, 71,478 households, representing 405,862 people, benefited from direct cash transfers, of whom 50% were women and children.

MAURITANIA

  • From 2015–18, 29,853 households, representing 197,030 people, benefited from a social cash transfer program, of whom 88% were women.
  • From 2014–18, 13 middle schools and 52 lower secondary schools were built for girls and 50% of the girls continued from primary to lower secondary education.

MONGOLIA

  • From 2013–17, 13,684 people benefited from a rural livelihood and food security program, of whom 44% were women.

MOZAMBIQUE

  • 1.9 million hectares of land were brought under enhanced biodiversity protection between 2014 and 2018. 68,875 people benefited from tourism related jobs and one-third of the beneficiaries were women.

MYANMAR

  • From 2014–18, 6.5 million people received essential health, nutrition, and population (HNP) services. 4.2 million of the beneficiaries were women. During the same time, 2.1 million births were attended by a health practitioner and 2.3 million children were immunized.

N

NEPAL

  • In 2016, 84% of all pregnant women received antenatal care from a skilled health provider, up from 59% in 2011. 58% of births in 2016 were attended by a skilled professional, up from 36% in 2011.

NIGER

  • From 2011–18, 828,250 people were provided with access to sustainable water services, of whom 52% were women.
  • From 2011–18, 3.1 million days of temporary employment were created, of which 1.1 million days were for women. During the same period, 233 community infrastructure sites were rehabilitated on average each year between 2011 and 2017.
  • From 2013–18, 9,211 youths were benefited from a skills development program, of whom 31% were women.
  • In 2018, 48% of births were attended by a skilled health professional, up from 25.6% in 2012. From 2014–18, 3.8 million women and children were provided with basic health and nutrition services.

NIGERIA

  • From 2013–18, 25,000 women were trained in life skills training, 1,000 women graduated from internship programs, and 3,000 women were trained in vocational and entrepreneurial skills.
  • From 2016–18, 981,000 poor and vulnerable households received targeted cash transfers, of whom 92% were women.
  • Two million children under age two were immunized with a pentavalent vaccine in 2018, up from 270,644 children in 2008. 36.2 million children under age one were immunized with a pentavalent vaccine in 2018.
  • 620,440 births were attended by a skilled health professional in 2018, up from 76,960 in 2010. From 2010–18, 10.02 million people received basic health care, of whom 63% were women. During the same period, 10.93 million children under age five were treated as outpatients, up from 346,990 in 2010.
  • From 2013–18, Six million people received basic nutrition services, of whom 3.3 million were women.
  • 53,677 pregnant women living with HIV received a complete course of antiretroviral prophylaxis to reduce the risk of mother-to-child transmission in 2016, up from 26,133 in 2010. During the same period, 8,308 health facilities provided HIV counseling and testing services, up from 1,064.

P

PAKISTAN

  • In 2018, 3.6 million pregnant or lactating women, adolescent girls, and children under age 5 received basic nutrition services in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region and 1.8 million pregnant women received iron and folic acid (IFA) supplements. From 2014–18, 1.1 million pregnant women in Balochistan province and 2.2 million pregnant women in Sindh province received IFA supplements.
  • In 2018, 11.4 million women received essential health, nutrition, and population services in Punjab province, up from 3.2 million in 2015. During the same period, 2.5 million births were delivered by a health professional, up from 1.8 million, and 2.5 million children were immunized, up from 1.4 million.
  • From 2015–18, 840,931 people benefited from restored flood embankments, of whom 425,527 were women. During the same period, 150 kilometers of embankments were rehabilitated or constructed. In 2018, 986,033 people at risk for disasters and climate vulnerability received early warning notifications through mobile short messaging service, up from 50,000 in 2015.

PAPUA NEW GUINEA

  • From 2015–18, 64,862 people were provided with drainage services, of whom 52% were women. During the same period, 63 women participated in consultation activities during the project implementation.

R

RWANDA

  • From 2015–18, 1.3 million people were provided with new or improved electricity service, of whom 659,508 were women.
  • From 2015–18, 64,862 people were provided with drainage services, of whom 52% were women.

S

SENEGAL

  • From 2011–18, 155,397 births were delivered by a skilled healthcare professional and two million poor people were provided with basic health and nutrition services.
  • From 2013–17, 275,605 women received antenatal care and 2.3 million people received health, nutrition, and population services.
  • From 2009–18, 3,200 women were trained in sustainable charcoal production techniques, which increased their revenue and improved their family’s living conditions. During the same period, the project distributed 306,253 improved stoves benefiting mostly women.
  • From 2012–18, 144,000 people benefited from reduced flood risks in the peri-urban areas of Dakar, of whom 74,800 were women.

SIERRA LEONE

  • In 2018, 94% of births were delivered by a skilled health professional, up from 72% in 2013. During the same period, 84% of pregnant women were attended to four or more times by a health professional, up from 79%. 100% of pregnant women received tetanus vaccine two or more times, up from 89.3%. 7.7 million people were benefited in 2018, up from 6.19 million in 2013.

SOLOMON ISLANDS

  • From 2010–18, construction of community infrastructure employed 13,000 people from vulnerable communities and generated more than 785,851 days of work. 52% of the people employed were women and 60% were between the ages of 16 and 29.
  • From 2014–18, 1,813 people benefited from one-on-one coaching services and 1,073 people produced their CVs. According to the 6th Annual Survey, 77% of respondents who had obtained subsequent employment found the pre-employment training project to be useful. Of this group, 77% were women and 76% were youth.
  • From 2014–18, 61,857 people benefited from road works and other community infrastructure. 775,731 days of work were generated, and women accounted for 411,137 days of work.
  • Between 2015–18, 44,188 benefited from improved quality of and/or access to rural infrastructure or services, of whom 22,190 were women.

SOUTH SUDAN

  • From 2015–18, 53,290 people received cash-for-work, food-for-work, and temporary employment through a public works program. Four million days of work were created, of which 76% were for women.
  • From 2017–18, 175,415 children and 107,464 pregnant and lactating women were provided with blended supplementary food.

T

TAJIKISTAN

  • In 2018, 1,900 students were enrolled in short-term courses developed in response to labor market demand, of whom 1,040 were women.
  • From 2013–18, 1.4 million people benefited from an improved irrigation and drainage services project. 994,988 days of employment were generated, 239,461 days of which were for women.

TANZANIA

  • From 2012–18, 5.3 million people benefited from a well targeted social safety net system, of whom 52% were women.
  • In 2018, 78% of births were delivered by a health care professional, up from 45% in 2014. In 2018, 61% of pregnant women attended four or more antenatal care visits, up from 41% in 2012.
  • 60.5% of pregnant women attended four or more antenatal care visits in 2018, up from 41% in 2015.
  • 78.74% received at least two doses of intermittent preventive treatment for malaria in 2018, up from 42.5% in 2015.
  • From 2015–18, 10.1 million people received essential health and nutrition services. During the same period, 1.3 million women and children received basic nutrition services and 8.8 million births were attended by a skilled health professional.

TOGO

  • From 2017–18, 49,958 people benefited from a safety net program, of whom 23,725 were women. During the same period, students in existing free meal programs were provided with 5.7 million meals.
  • From 2014–18, 85,938 mosquito nets were impregnated with insecticide and 345,700 long-lasting insecticide-treated malaria nets were distributed to pregnant women. 57% of pregnant women received these nets during antenatal care visits in 2018, up from 2.7% in 2014.
  • 57% of pregnant women received 3 doses of Intermittent Preventive Therapy with Sulphadoxine Pyrimethamine for malaria during an antenatal visit in 2018, up from 30% in 2014. 86.2% of pregnant women received 90 tablets of iron and folic acid during antenatal visits in 2018, up from 38% in 2014.

U

UGANDA

  • 4.8 million pregnant women received antenatal care during a visit to a health provider in 2018, up from 1.5 million in 2015. During the same period, 766 health professionals received training and 77 health facilities were constructed or renovated.
  • From 2016–18, 26,400 women were trained in nutrition-sensitive agriculture and 30,469 girls received weekly iron and folic acid supplements through their primary school. During this period, the percentage of women participating in community-based nutrition activities in project areas increased to 47%, up from 36%.
  • 92.6% of children under age one were immunized with a third dose of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine in 2018, up from 79% in 2015.
  • From 2015–18, 2.6 million people received essential health, nutrition, and population services. During the same period, one million births were attended by a skilled health professional, and 766 health professionals received training in maternal, newborn, and child health.

Y

YEMEN

  • From 2017-18, 2.5 million people were provided with access to community services, such as roads and irrigation. 220,094 women and children benefited from nutrition services.
  • From 2017–18, 1.5 million people received cash transfers, of whom 47% were women, to alleviate a sharp increase in the poverty rate following a crisis in Yemen in 2011.
  • From 2016–18, 6.8 million days of work were generated for 300,639 people receiving short-term employment, of whom 47% were youth, and the most vulnerable population received access to basic services, of whom 28% were women.

Z

ZAMBIA

  • From 2015–18, 33,626 women received support through a women's empowerment and livelihood project. 16,239 girls were enrolled in secondary school and 16,160 women received conditional cash transfers.
  • 55.1% of births were attended by a skilled health professional in 2018, up from 27% in 2012. During the same period, 64% of health centers offered integrated management of childhood illnesses, and 3,211 health workers were trained in maternal, newborn and child health.
  • From 2012–18, 2.9 million people received essential health, nutrition, and population services, of whom 2.5 million were women. From 2014–18, 1.8 million women and children received basic nutrition services.

 

Updated as of June 14, 2019

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