Publication: An Assessment of Gender Gaps in Liberia through a Women’s Empowerment Lens
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2023-09-11
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2023-09-11
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Advancing gender equality by strengthening women’s empowerment is essential for improving development outcomes in Liberia. This report draws on existing literature and data review, as well as new qualitative evidence collected in Liberia. It shows that despite some progress, significant gender gaps still hold back the individual well-being of half of the population. Although abject poverty is part of the story, formal and informal institutions that shift the balance of decision-making power and access to resources away from women also disempower. Eliminating institutional and resource constraints and strengthening women’s ability to make choices to improve their lives can leverage women’s skills and talents and enhance their contributions to a more prosperous and sustainable Liberia. This report is grounded in the concepts underlying women’s and girls’ empowerment - namely, a process whereby women and girls who have been denied the ability to make choices and realize them acquire such an ability. The analysis is focused on identifying the constraints Liberian women face in achieving better outcomes in education, health, and productive employment, through the lens of the three pillars of empowerment: context, resources, and agency.
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“Cunningham, Wendy; Gupta, Sarika; Johansson de Silva, Sara; Gupta, Sarika. 2023. An Assessment of Gender Gaps in Liberia through a Women’s Empowerment Lens. © World Bank Group. http://hdl.handle.net/10986/40333 License: CC BY-NC 3.0 IGO.”
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