Ethnic, religious and cultural shifts
Shifts in cultural norms can significantly enhance or disrupt efforts to integrate women into the economy, or to provide women with services. For example, changing cultural attitudes presents an opportunity for women to take up more non-traditional working roles, but also risks reverting to more traditional gender norms or roles.
- Opportunity
- high
Shifts in cultural norms can significantly ease efforts to integrate women into the economy and to provide women with services.
- Risk
- medium
Shifts in cultural norms can significantly disrupt efforts to integrate women into the economy and to provide women with services.
- Opportunity
- medium
- Risk
- low
While potentially less salient than changes in education and health, cultural shifts can also impact the norms surrounding women’s financial inclusion.
To ensure investees are able to capitalise on cultural shifts that are beneficial to women’s economic empowerment, gender-smart investors can collaborate with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and ‘on the ground’ experts to perform horizon-scanning exercises focused on risks and opportunities resulting from cultural change. This can reveal early warning signs, ensuring investees have adequate time to prepare for and adapt to cultural changes.
- Opportunity
- high
- Risk
- medium
Shifts in cultural norms can enhance efforts to integrate women into the economy / provide services. For example, in 2015 Tanzania’s government abolished all school fees and contributions required to enter lower-secondary schools. According to the government, secondary school enrolment significantly increased as a result. On the other hand, as noted, the situation for girls’ education in Tanzania has deteriorated, highlighting the potential fragility of gains driven by cultural shifts.
To ensure investees are able to capitalise on cultural shifts that are beneficial to women’s economic empowerment, gender-smart investors can collaborate with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and ‘on the ground’ experts to perform horizon-scanning exercises focused on risks and opportunities resulting from cultural change. This can reveal early warning signs, ensuring investees have adequate time to prepare for and adapt to cultural changes.
- Opportunity
- high
- Risk
- medium
Shifts in cultural norms can disrupt efforts to integrate women into the economy and to provide them with services. For example, despite dismissing corrupt public officials and reorienting government spending toward anti-cholera operations and other public-health services, Tanzania’s President (John Magufuli) recently suspended advertising by family planning organisations until further review – a major setback in reproductive rights.
To ensure investees are able to take steps to mitigate and adapt to cultural shifts that negatively impact women’s economic empowerment, gender-smart investors can collaborate with non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and ‘on the ground’ experts to perform horizon-scanning exercises focused on risks and opportunities resulting from cultural change. This can reveal early warning signs, ensuring investees have adequate time to prepare for and adapt to cultural changes.
