We know women and men, and girls and boys experience poverty differently in many ways. But how well do we, as providers or funders of services, respond to those differences? Within the Asian Development Bank, we work to hardwire gender analysis into our institutional DNA so whenever we choose and design projects—whether for agriculture, sanitation, construction, transportation, education, livelihoods, or health—we automatically ask two essential questions: How will women benefit? How will men benefit? As much as possible, we push projects forward when equally beneficial for women and men. Our hardwiring is not yet foolproof. We identify new dimensions and adjust our
approaches constantly. But we are growing into our ambition. And we see glimpses of our achievements in the thousands of girls and women who have received scholarships, boarding schools, classrooms, mentorships, job placements, skills training, livestock technology, seeds, fertilizers, credit and policy inclusion, and have become more prominent in the running of their communities. We are inspired by the stories of women who rose above their circumstances through project assistance in Southeast Asia and made positive changes in their lives. For several years, we have been sharing these stories through the SEAGEN Waves newsletter. This booklet highlights some examples from that newsletter. Of the many things we learned in our gender components in our partnerships with governments, the most critical first step is to ensure both women’s and men’s needs for services, information, or training are taken into account. This requires a gender analysis before designing a project. Projects need to promote women’s economic empowerment through equal access to employment generated during construction components; create and support opportunities for women to engage in enterprises arising out of infrastructure investments; and help women gain greater access to and control over assets, resources, and power, and access to markets. Wherever possible, activities also need to encourage harmony in the home. One of our primary goals is to increase young women’s employability and income earning potential. While labor force participation rates are high in Southeast Asia, gender-based inequality in economic opportunities remains a challenge. When women gain training and information to access employment and expand their businesses, credit to invest in business ventures and diversify, and markets to sell their products, they are in a position to better contribute to economic growth, development, and poverty reduction. Research has shown that resources in the hands of women have a range of positive outcomes because women tend to reinvest their income into their families and communities—leading to equity in growth outcomes. Over time, we have seen how quotas and targets in our gender action plans can change cultural norms and attitudes, impact government decision-makers, increase acknowledgment of the value of women’s participation, and institutionalize women’s roles within community leadership bodies. The stories in this booklet show how, with appropriate support, women are making positive changes in their own lives and in the lives of others