Promoting gender and social inclusion is essential to MCC’s mission of achieving poverty reduction through economic growth. While growth is needed for reducing poverty over the long term, producing high levels of aggregate growth does not automatically translate into significant poverty reduction.
Research shows that the benefits from economic growth are not shared equally within societies. Growth—even robust growth—can leave some populations and communities behind. Certain disadvantaged groups—often women, the poor, or those from disadvantaged ethnic groups or regions—lack access to the economic opportunities available to others and are prevented from reaching their full productive potential.
Poverty is not a purely economic issue. Overlapping systems of disadvantage – in education, physical or financial assets, natural resources, public services, health, social rights, and political voice – can create poverty traps that are difficult to address.
- Women’s economic opportunities are constrained by a potent combination of limited access to labor and credit markets, a disproportionate domestic care burden, fewer opportunities to build relevant skills and restricted economic and social rights.
- Low quality education can hold entire communities back from economic advancement. More unequal societies may have more unequal education systems, effectively excluding the poor—especially women—from getting the skills needed to access more lucrative paying jobs.
- Low status groups face discrimination and social exclusion that can reduce their total pool of human capital and assets, creating chronic, persistent poverty across generations.
The costs of exclusion are immense. Take the issue of gender inequalities. Globally, countries lose $160 trillion in wealth due to earnings gaps between women and men according to the World Bank’s Cost of Gender Inequality report. The Brookings Institution estimates that full and equal participation of women in the labor market could increase Niger’s GDP by 50 percent, and Morocco’s by nearly one third.
And studies have found that more unequal societies have less sustained and robust economic growth, in part because they are losing out on their full potential to invest and innovate by leaving so many people behind.
MCC works with partner countries to design investments that reach the poor, women, and other disadvantaged groups.
MCC is dedicated to unlocking the economic potential of women in a holistic, sustainable, and impactful way, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has disproportionally impacted women both economically and socially. MCC projects support women entrepreneurs, expand income-generating activities and employment opportunities for women, lift legal restrictions such as property rights, and increase women’s access to critical services like reliable electricity and clean water.
MCC’s Commitment to Gender Integration and Social Inclusion
Through itsGender Policy, first adopted in 2006, MCC requires that gender inequalities are identified and considered throughout the threshold and compact cycle, from the initial country selection and early analysis to the development and design of programs, project implementation, the monitoring of program results, and evaluation of program impacts.
Country Selection and Assessment
Three of the 20 indicators on the MCC scorecard used to assess countries’ commitment to just and democratic governance, investment in its people, and economic freedom relate to gender. The Gender in the Economy indicator measures a government’s commitment to promoting gender equality by providing women and men with the same legal ability to participate in the economy, access to capital and markets, and rights to own property. MCC’s scorecard also includes indicators that measure a government’s commitment to girls primary and secondary education.
After a country is selected, MCC identifies the key binding constraints to economic growth, which includes an analysis of social and gender inequalities that may characterize the economy or shape policies and institutions and influence how economic growth impacts poverty and different groups within a society. MCC partnered with the Brookings Institution to refine and strengthen the agency’s application of the constraints to growth diagnostic tool to include a deeper and more systematic analysis of gender inequalities.
Program Design and Implementation
In designing programs, MCC seeks to fund activities that will generate significant and measurable increases in incomes of large numbers of people in partner countries, including significant gains for the poor. As part of that process, MCC designs investments with an eye to ensuring benefits for women, the poor, and other disadvantaged groups.
In addition to requiring that each MCC investment meets the requirements of the Gender Policy, MCC recently approved an additional criterion that focuses exclusively on women’s economic empowerment which reflects the high priority that MCC leadership places on strengthening MCC’s efforts to expand women’s economic opportunities.
Each MCC investment requires a Social and Gender Integration Plan (SGIP), which provides a comprehensive roadmap for social inclusion and gender integration throughout compact and threshold programs. Payment of the second disbursement of compact funds is contingent on a partner country completing and MCC approving this plan.
Data Monitoring and Evaluation
Good data yields good policy. Through its monitoring and evaluation efforts, MCC gathers and analyzes data on its beneficiaries, including by gender as well as by key socio-economic traits. MCC is working to understand how our women’s economic empowerment programming can increase income and assets at a household level, and thereby contribute to MCC’s overarching goal of reducing poverty through economic growth.
Examples of MCC’s Work in Gender and Social Inclusion
Education
The ability of individuals to be productive members of society starts with the opportunities available to them during childhood and adolescence. Through school construction and rehabilitation targeted to communities that need it most, MCC increases access to schools and supports policy reform and teacher training that creates an effective learning environment. Many of MCC’s education programs include a component to address girl’s educational access because we believe that investing in girls’ education is critical to the ability of women and girls to contribute to the productivity of the economy.
MCC’s compact withEl Salvador focuses on the systemic barriers that limit girls’ educational success. MCC is supporting efforts to address gender inequality and bias in the classroom, curriculum reform, and training teachers and students’ families to be aware of how not to perpetuate gender stereotypes. In close partnership with the Government of El Salvador, MCC also focuses on adolescent girls’ empowerment and young men’s redefinition of masculinity to reduce the gender-based violence that is pervasive in the country.
InGeorgia, MCC focuses on providing women and girls with the skills they need to succeed economically through increasing women’s participation in STEM degree programs. To attract and retain girls and minorities in the new U.S. accredited STEM bachelor’s degree program offered by San Diego State University and three Georgian public partner universities, MCC supports targeted outreach and recruitment efforts as well as scholarships.
Energy
According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), approximately 860 million people—70 percent of whom live in Sub-Saharan Africa—still lack access to a reliable and affordable source of electricity. The sustainable provision of electricity—a resource crucial to human development—can promote better health and education within communities and free up large amount of time and labor. There is also a close correlation between income levels and access to modern sources of energy. Women are more likely than men to live in poverty and many of these women live in rural areas without electricity.In Benin, MCC’s compact is focused on increasing electricity supply, including to women and the urban and rural poor within the country. Benin’s utility needs to be financially viable and able to provide accessible and affordable electricity, including to low-income populations. To reach unserved rural and peri-urban communities, MCC is co-financing off-grid, clean energy solutions. A Women’s Energy Entrepreneurship activity will equip women with the skills to leverage electricity and the sale of energy products to increase their incomes.
The Senegal Power Compact Access Project will support the construction of electrical grid infrastructure in southern and central regions of Senegal. The areas of focus include the Casamance, which is one of the country’s poorest regions, and which has experienced in the past separatist conflict. The project will include an education and outreach campaign to reach poorer communities and encourage them to connect to the grid. It will also facilitate women and youth’s access to electric equipment and labor-saving devices.
In Ghana, MCC encouraged the electricity utility to adopt a new policy on gender, which seeks to strengthen the recruitment, retention and promotion of women within the utility. This is part of a larger effort by MCC, including the establishment of an internship and mentorship program, to encourage more women to go into and succeed in higher paying jobs in the energy sector which is considered a non -traditional occupation for women.
“The engineering industry is dominated by males, [… but] with the new [gender] policy in place, there is a greater chance of me, as a young female engineer, to gain employment in this male dominated field.” said Rhoda Oppong, who majored in electrical engineering, and took part in the internship program.
Land Rights
In Morocco, MCC actively encouraged the passage of laws that govern the structure and administration of communal land and strengthen inheritance rights for women. MCC is supporting the individual titling of 67,000 hectares of collective land. With compact support, the Ministries of Interior and Agriculture have adopted a procedure that includes participatory community dialogue and targeted work with women and men to increase women’s participation in decision-making and to create opportunities for more women to be recognized as owners or co-owners of land. The project will also create awareness of women’s legal rights with community leaders. To ensure and amplify the benefits of land titles to the farmers and their families, the program will partner with Moroccan institutions working at the local level to deliver legal and financial literacy training, facilitate access to credit, train farmers on improved agricultural practices and promote economic empowerment opportunities for women and youth.
Health, Water, and Sanitation
In Mongolia, the primary social inclusion considerations are maintaining the affordability of water and ensuring the water sector’s responsiveness to all types of households and individuals in the capital city of Ulaanbaatar. The Compact is supporting the government to undertake tariff reform that addresses water affordability and the possible need to develop a customer assistance program, while also ensuring the municipal water utility’s financial sustainability.
In Zambia, MCC’s water and sanitation investments included measures to support access and affordability of services for the poor. For example, the utility of Lusaka updated its Gender and Peri-Urban Policies and introduced flexible billing and payment options and affordable connection fees suited to the needs of the poor. These measures, as well as a grants facility that provided grants to community-based organizations, NGOs, and the private sector, stimulated innovations and improvements in pro-poor service delivery during the compact and beyond
Climate Change
Building climate‐resilient economies that promote sustainable and inclusive growth is critical to helping countries confront future crises, adapt to new climate realities, reduce emissions, and stimulate growth. As part of MCC’s climate-smart development strategy, we are committed to expanding our efforts to understand and address the differential impacts of climate change on women, vulnerable, and marginalized populations in our investments. Our commitment not only aims to ensure that MCC mitigation, adaptation, and resilience approaches consider each population’s distinct vulnerabilities, but also to empower them as economic agents and leaders in bringing about climate change solutions.In Niger, systemic gender inequalities in the agriculture sector give rise to challenges for women, such as lack of access to agricultural inputs. MCC’s Climate-Resilient Communities Project in Niger established a grant facility to address finance and credit constraints faced by different groups, including women, youth, and micro-, small-, and medium- enterprises. Other efforts include involving women as key stakeholders to increase their participation in events such as training to support their improved production on land irrigated by the compact. Additionally, a pre-condition to receiving MCC funding, which was successfully met, was the inclusion of women as governing members of water user associations that control this crucial and climate-sensitive agricultural input.
In Tunisia, MCC is supporting a climate-sensitive project to address inadequate and variable water supply in four interior regions. Women in these regions are often excluded from land ownership, and their livelihoods—working mostly in the informal sector—are highly vulnerable. The project will address women’s job insecurity by promoting their participation in water user associations and on agricultural cooperatives, by supporting female employment in irrigation works, and by supporting the expansion of social security coverage for workers in the informal sector, where women predominate.
FAQs
What is the gender and social inclusion? ›
The empowerment of women and girls in all aspects of life, with the engagement of men and boys, is vital to ensure safe, productive and fair societies.
Why is gender and social inclusion important? ›Gender and social analysis is critical to achieving desired development outcomes of increased production, improved outcomes for poverty alleviation, increased well-being for all, and a fairer distribution of burdens and benefits in agriculture among women and men.
What is an example of social inclusion? ›a transport service to and from recreational and public services; outings and social trips including transport to and from home; information technology at home to enable them to access the internet”.
Why is social inclusion important? ›Social inclusion is important for a person's dignity, security and opportunity to lead a better life. It has been proven over and over again how important it is to support individuals to feel connected and valued within society and address any form of social exclusion people are experiencing every day.
What is meant by social inclusion? ›Social inclusion is the process of improving the terms on which individuals and groups take part in society—improving the ability, opportunity, and dignity of those disadvantaged on the basis of their identity. Context. Strategy.
How do you promote gender and development in your workplace? ›- An everyday problem.
- Don't waste your resources.
- Know your legal obligations.
- Offer equal pay for equal work.
- Challenge your own beliefs.
- Encourage the use of mentors.
- Know your role models.
- Help promote gender equality in the workplace.
- Gender Fair Education (GFE) Program. ...
- Gender, Peace and Security (GPS) Program. ...
- Gender and Development (GAD) Program. ...
- Young Women's Leadership (YWL) Program. ...
- Feminist Research Program. ...
- Mid-Year Training Institute.
Social Inclusion (GESI)
What are some of the gesi issues? ›This GESI policy has been developed to address a number of issues where individuals are directly or indirectly being disadvantaged or discriminated against, including people living with disabilities, HIV/AIDS, discrimination on the basis of race, sex, gender or other personal attributes.
What is gender mainstreaming? ›Gender mainstreaming is a strategy to improve the quality of public policies, programmes and projects, ensuring a more efficient allocation of resources. Better results mean increased well-being for both women and men, and the creation of a more socially just and sustainable society.
What are the principles of social inclusion? ›
Social inclusion is defined as the process of improving the terms of participation in society, particularly for people who are disadvantaged, through enhancing opportunities, access to resources, voice and respect for rights.
What are the elements of social inclusion? ›These elements are relationships, advocacy, a sense of identity, shared experiences, and transparency. Each of these elements work to strengthen the effort to develop inclusion in schools and communities.
What are the five dimensions of social inclusion? ›Social inclusion is multidimensional: it encompasses social, political, cultural and economic dimensions, and operates at various social levels. The most relevant aspects can be clustered under three interrelated domains: markets, services, and spaces (figure).
Why is inclusion important in life? ›When people feel included they are better able to contribute to the group and their society without fear of being ostracised. By bringing their ideas forward, they are offering a particular perspective, which stems from a completely different background.
What is the role of inclusion for development? ›The term inclusive suggests that individuals have equal access to the social, political and economic mainstream as well as chances to assert their preferences. This normative aspiration requires all parts of society to benefit from development.
What is social inclusion services? ›Social inclusion is defined as the opportunity for people to learn, work, connect with others and have a voice. Family support services play a vital role in fostering social inclusion and in promoting conditions that allow children to participate in and benefit from mainstream life.
How does inclusion benefit community? ›Reduce social isolation and improve mental health for people with disabilities, Increase economic gains for local businesses, and. Improve physical health opportunities and outcomes for all.
What is an inclusion activity? ›Diversity and inclusion activities are ideas that you can use to promote workers' unique individuality and create a sense of belonging for your workforce regardless of differences. Examples include diversity calendar celebration, cooking lessons, and speak your truth sessions.
How can gender inclusiveness be improved in the workplace? ›- Provide training on inclusive hiring. The impact of stereotypes and unconscious biases exist, and it can come from a man or a woman. ...
- Implement a diverse interview panel with diverse interviewers. ...
- Make job posts more inclusive.
- 1) Talk about it. ...
- 2) Share the care work. ...
- 3) Embrace diverse role models. ...
- 4) Empower your kids to speak out. ...
- 5) Fight stereotypes, including your own. ...
- 6) Stop the body shame. ...
- 7) Listen and learn from them.
What is the main goal of gender equality? ›
Gender equality is achieved when women, men, girls and boys have equal rights, conditions and opportunities, and the power to shape their own lives and contribute to the development of society. It is a matter of equitable distribution of power, influence and resources in society.
What is Gender and Development Program? ›9710) defines Gender and Development Program (GAD) as the development perspective and process that is participatory and empowering, equitable, sustainable, free from violence, respectful of human rights, supportive of self-determination and actualization of human potentials.
How can we reduce gender discrimination? ›- Get Women on Boards. Greater representation of women on boards of directors is critical. ...
- Educate Senior Leadership. ...
- Hire and Promote. ...
- Fight Biases. ...
- Evaluate Work Assignments. ...
- Show Them the Money. ...
- Practice Social Inclusion. ...
- Help with Work/Life Management.
- Avoid separating male and female students. ...
- Don't allow male students to interrupt female students when they are speaking. ...
- Promote all genders working together. ...
- Avoid stereotypes (including subtle ones)
- Learn to recognise gender bias. ...
- Check your own interactions for bias. ...
- Audit your media choices. ...
- Look around your workplace. ...
- Understand and use your privilege to influence. ...
- Representing female role models. ...
- Share learning and speak up.
The GESI approach aims to guarantee equal rights, opportunities, and services to the entire population rather than only seek to improve the wellbeing of individuals in acute need.
What is gesi gender? ›A GESI approach considers unequal power relations and inequalities experienced by individuals as a result of their social identities, including gender, location, (dis)ability, wealth, education, age, caste/ethnicity, race, sexuality.
What is gesi audit? ›The GESI audit is intended as a participatory process to identify how GESI issues are addressed in the SLH's programming portfolio and internal organizational processes.
What is Gedsi? ›Gender equality, disability and social inclusion (GEDSI) is a Values Pillar of the International Cyber & Critical Tech Engagement Strategy and a cross cutting theme of the CCTCP.
Which educational policy emphasized the education of the girl child in Ghana? ›Creation of the GEU
This was formalised in the Accra Accord on Girls' Education in Ghana, which was followed by the development of a National Plan for Girls' Education for 1995–2005.
What are the 3 key principles of gender mainstreaming? ›
- Gender-sensitive language. ...
- Gender-specific data collection and analysis. ...
- Equal access to and utilisation of services. ...
- Women and men are equally involved in decision making.
Those grids will be used as framework to perform the three Gender Mainstreaming Steps4, being (i) gender sensitive analysis and strategic planning; (ii) implementation and (iii) gender sensitive monitoring and assessment.
What is the importance of gender and development? ›— As a development approach, GAD seeks to equalize the status and condition of and relations between women and men by influencing the process and output of policy-making, planning, budgeting, implementation and monitoring, and evaluation so that they would deliberately address the gender issues and concerns affecting ...
What are the factors affecting social exclusion? ›Low incomes, unemployment, lack of education, limited access to transport, poorer physical and mental health, and discrimination are key drivers of exclusion for disabled people.
Why is social inclusion important for a person with mental health issues? ›Participation in society improves mental health, self- determination, and general functioning. 6 On a broader social level, it reduces discrimination and stigmatisation, both essential to achieving and maintaining good mental health.
What is an example of social exclusion? ›For example, not being able to relate to others and to take part in the life of the community can directly impoverish a person's life. It is a loss on its own, in addition to whatever further deprivation it may indirectly generate. This is a case of constitutive relevance of social exclusion.
What are the 3 principles of inclusion? ›- Principle 1. Understand Your Learners and Organizational Culture.
- Principle 2. Design Authentically.
- Principle 3. Leverage Technology.
- Advancing Toward D&I.
The principle of inclusion is a component of accessibility, availability, acceptability and adaptability.
What are examples of inclusion? ›Inclusion is defined as the state of being included or being made a part of something. When multiple people are all invited to be part of a group, this is an example of inclusion. Inclusion is about honouring diversity, not ignoring it.
How do you promote social inclusion? ›- Empowering communities and individuals by giving them a voice, and allowing them to express their opinions without fear of retribution;
- Ensuring access to employment and the tools to participate in social life are readily available and accessible;
What are barriers to social inclusion? ›
Four main barriers were identified: lack of necessary knowledge and skills; role of support staff and service managers; location of house; and community factors such as lack of amenities and attitudes.
What is the meaning of gesi? ›Social Inclusion (GESI)
What are some of the gesi issues? ›This GESI policy has been developed to address a number of issues where individuals are directly or indirectly being disadvantaged or discriminated against, including people living with disabilities, HIV/AIDS, discrimination on the basis of race, sex, gender or other personal attributes.
What is gesi policy? ›The National Public Service GESI Policy is designed to develop and maintain a positive, respectful. work culture that ensures equity and diversity for all employees and is free from discrimination. In. particular it: • Outlines the legislative provisions supporting a respectful, equitable and inclusive workplace.
What is gender mainstreaming? ›Gender mainstreaming is a strategy to improve the quality of public policies, programmes and projects, ensuring a more efficient allocation of resources. Better results mean increased well-being for both women and men, and the creation of a more socially just and sustainable society.
What is gesi gender? ›A GESI approach considers unequal power relations and inequalities experienced by individuals as a result of their social identities, including gender, location, (dis)ability, wealth, education, age, caste/ethnicity, race, sexuality.
What is gesi audit? ›The GESI audit is intended as a participatory process to identify how GESI issues are addressed in the SLH's programming portfolio and internal organizational processes.
What is Gedsi? ›Gender equality, disability and social inclusion (GEDSI) is a Values Pillar of the International Cyber & Critical Tech Engagement Strategy and a cross cutting theme of the CCTCP.
Which educational policy emphasized the education of the girl child in Ghana? ›Creation of the GEU
This was formalised in the Accra Accord on Girls' Education in Ghana, which was followed by the development of a National Plan for Girls' Education for 1995–2005.
- Gender-sensitive language. ...
- Gender-specific data collection and analysis. ...
- Equal access to and utilisation of services. ...
- Women and men are equally involved in decision making.
What are gender strategies? ›
What is a gender strategy? A gender equality strategy outlines the vision for combatting gender inequality in an organisation and holds the organisation accountable by setting measurable objectives for progress.
What are the three levels of gender mainstreaming? ›Those grids will be used as framework to perform the three Gender Mainstreaming Steps4, being (i) gender sensitive analysis and strategic planning; (ii) implementation and (iii) gender sensitive monitoring and assessment.