| Abstract: |
This paper examines the effectiveness of a variety of policy interventions
that have been tried in developing and transition economies with the goal of
improving women's employability and quality of work. The programs include
active labor market programs, education and training programs, programs that
facilitate work (such as childcare subsidies, parental leave programs and land
titling programs), microfinance programs, entrepreneurship and leadership
programs, and conditional cash transfer programs. Some of these policy
interventions were undertaken to increase employment, some to increase female
employment, and some for other reasons. All of these programs have been
subjected to impact evaluations of different kinds and some also to rigorous
cost-benefit analyses. Many were found to be effective in increasing women's
quantity of work as measured by increased rates of labor market participation
and number of hours worked. In some cases, the programs also increased women's
quality of work, for example, by increasing the capacity for women to work in
the formal rather than the informal sector where wages are higher and where
women are more likely to have access to health, retirement, and other benefits. |