Briefing Papers Number 22, September 2013 | Page 7

Figure 4  Employment by Sector (as a share of total employment) by Gender Total employment by sector (%), 2007 Agriculture Male employment: I Agriculture I Industry I Services sub-Saharan Africa South Asia Middle East & North Africa Female employment: I Agriculture I Industry I Services East Asia & Pacific Latin America & Caribbean Developed Regions 0 25 50 75 100 0 25 50 75 100 UN Photo/John Isaac Male employment: I 1997 I 2007 CEE/CIS* Female employment: I 1997 I 2007 * Central and Eastern Europe/Commonwealth of Independent States. Source: United Nation’s Development Fund for Women, 2008. when that income is controlled by men. But when women grams help quantify changes in women’s empowerment and have bargaining power within the household, they are likely gender equality—is now being used to assess programs under to help translate gains in income into food security and Feed the Future. WEAI measures women’s roles in the agriculture sector improvements in nutrition.23 Where gender gaps have closed quickly, it is due to evolu- and the extent of their engagement in five domains, each tion in institutions and markets, both formal and informal; with indicators that are assessed individually. These are how growth has played out; and how all these factors have production (e.g., the degree of autonomy a woman has in interacted through household decisions. Removing discrimi- agricultural production); resources (e.g., access to credit natory land and labor laws helps women farmers produce and equipment); income (e.g., control over expenditures); more food. The combination of paying women equally; leadership (e.g., comfort speaking in public); and time (e.g., improving their access to tools, fertilizers, and credit; and guaranteeing their right to Figure 5  The Five Domains of Empowerment in the WEAI own and access land will be a game-changer in the fight against hunger and malnutrition. Indicators In addition, markets (which open new employInput in productive decisions ment opportunities for women) and stronger Autonomy in production efforts to expand school systems and lower Ownership of assets their costs can influence household decisions Purchase, sale, or transfer of assets to the benefit of girls and young women. Access to and decisions on credit Production Resources Women’s empowerment (MDG 3) should be fully included in both the push to reach MDG targets before the deadline and the framing of the post-2015 goals. To date, the U.S. government has intentionally focused on Income Time Control over use of income women smallholder farmers in its approach to reducing hunger and malnutrition. In 2012, the International Food Policy Research InstiGroup member Leadership tute (IFPRI), USAID, and the Oxford Poverty Speaking in public and Human Development Initiative launched Workload the Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Leisure Index (WEAI).24 The index—a tool for moniSource: www.feedthefuture.gov toring how agricultural development prowww.bread.org Bread for the World Institute  7