Monthly Corner
IDH Publication, 2026
Gender-Based Violence (GBV) is not just a social issue, it’s a systemic challenge that undermines agricultural value chains.
In rural and isolated areas, GBV threatens women’s safety, limits their economic participation, and weakens food security. When women cannot work safely, entire communities lose resilience, and businesses lose productivity. Climate resilience strategies that overlook gendered risks leave communities exposed and women vulnerable.
Ending GBV is essential for building equitable, sustainable, and climate-resilient agri-food systems; and it’s not only a human rights imperative, but also central to climate adaptation and economic stability.
The good news? Solutions work. Programs like the Women’s Safety Accelerator Fund (WSAF) demonstrate that addressing GBV can enhance productivity and strengthen workforce morale and brand reputation. Safe, inclusive workplaces aren’t just good ethics, they’re smart business.
Gurmeet Kaur Articles
Luc Barriere-Constantin Article
This article draws on the experience gained by The Constellation over the past 20 years. It is also a proposal for a new M&E and Learning framework to be adopted and adapted in future projects of all community-focused organisations.
Devaka K.C. Article
Sudeshna Sengupta Chapter in the book "Dialogues on Development edited by Prof Arash Faizli and Prof Amitabh Kundu."
Events
Vacancies
- We’re Hiring: National Evaluation Consultant – Bangladesh
UN Women is recruiting a National Evaluation Consultant (Bangladesh) to support the interim evaluation of the Joint Regional EmPower Programme (Phase II).
This is a great opportunity to work closely with the Evaluation Team Leader and contribute to generating credible, gender-responsive evidence that informs decision-making and strengthens programme impact.
📍 Location: Dhaka, Bangladesh (home-based with travel to project locations)
📅 Apply by: 24 February 2026, 5:00 PM
🔗 Apply here: https://lnkd.in/gar4ciRr
If you are passionate about feminist evaluation, gender equality, and rigorous evidence that drives change (or know someone who is) please apply or share within your networks.
- Seeking Senior Analyst - IPE Global
About the job
IPE Global Ltd. is a multi-disciplinary development sector consulting firm offering a range of integrated, innovative and high-quality services across several sectors and practices. We offer end-to-end consulting and project implementation services in the areas of Social and Economic Empowerment, Education and Skill Development, Public Health, Nutrition, WASH, Urban and Infrastructure Development, Private Sector Development, among others.
Over the last 26 years, IPE Global has successfully implemented over 1,200 projects in more than 100 countries. The group is headquartered in New Delhi, India with five international offices in United Kingdom, Kenya, Ethiopia, Philippines and Bangladesh. We partner with multilateral, bilateral, governments, corporates and not-for-profit entities in anchoring development agenda for sustained and equitable growth. We strive to create an enabling environment for path-breaking social and policy reforms that contribute to sustainable development.
Role Overview
IPE Global is seeking a motivated Senior Analyst – Low Carbon Pathways to strengthen and grow its Climate Change and Sustainability practice. The role will contribute to business development, program management, research, and technical delivery across climate mitigation, carbon markets, and energy transition. This position provides exceptional exposure to global climate policy, finance, and technology, working with a team of high-performing professionals and in collaboration with donors, foundations, research institutions, and public agencies.
Women, the invisible workforce...time for recognition
Covid 19 pandemic lockdown has brought to fore the invisible workforce-the women of the household, and their contribution in the country’s economy. If not directly but definitely indirectly, by taking care of homes of their men family members, whom generally every country count as their main workforce. Thus neglecting the role played by a woman in the country’s growth and development, as a professional as well as home-maker.
Globally, socio cultural norms and practices determine the role of women in both public and private spheres. Although vulnerability affects everyone but particularly women more, who face risks due to lesser employment opportunities, natural and man-made calamities, and invisible workforce? Moreover, women’s unequal share of unpaid work is considered as a major constraint to both economic growth and women’s empowerment.
Unfortunately, for decades, her contribution has discrimination on grounds of gender and social groups and place of work, outside home or at home. It is a known fact that women spend her substantial time in unpaid domestic work. Unpaid domestic work refers to non-market unpaid work carried out in households primarily by women which include both direct care of family members and indirect care such as cooking, cleaning fetching water and woods for fuel among others. According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) report, in India women spend around six hours per day in unpaid household chores and related activities. Noticeably, even across developed countries, the hours put by women in the household work, though in varying proportion, is more than men (see graph).
Globally, women carry out 76 percent of the total amount of unpaid work. This work activity goes unaccounted for in the national accounts system. Women remains largely remained invisible due to the low or no economic value attached to her contribution in undertaking very important and critical household chores. As per the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), women typically invest 90 percent of the economic resources into health, nutrition, and family education. Thus, keeping her financial independence at stake. In spite of, several measures been taken by the government and non- government agencies across the countries, particularly in developing economies, towards providing financial benefits to women and their financial inclusion, the situation continues to be far from satisfactory.
Women’s economic choices get jeopardized due to their minimal access to household finance including availing financial services and decision making in financial matters. Women’s unpaid domestic work affects considerably GDP of the country. No doubt, there is dire need for increasing women’s access to use of quality financial products and services which is essential for inclusive economic growth and poverty reduction apart from social and economic empowerment. Access to financial services and decision making process is seen as a stepping stone towards women recognition as an ‘economically relevant’ workforce and empowerment. Non-inclusion of unpaid work in national accounts system or active participation in financial decision making at home continues to remain evaded from women.
It has further repercussion. Lack of financial inclusion is also one of the key reasons for gender inequality. For women, financial dependence and low or no control over financial resources has affected, to a large extent, their bargaining power at home and influence over family decisions. According to the Global Gender Gap Report 2020 of the World Economic Forum (WEF), the economic opportunities for women are extremely limited. On average, only 55% of adult women are in the labour market, versus 78% of men. In Indian context, only one-quarter of women, compared with 82 per cent of men, engage actively in the labour market — one of the lowest rates globally (145th). Among the 153 countries studied for this WEF’s report, India is the only country where the economic gender gap is larger than the political gender gap.
Covid 19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown across several countries must have made men policy makers, who are in most of the prominent positions of key policy making think-tanks to assess the contribution of women in invisible work at home and yet keeping her occupied for entire day. In fact for working women, the lockdown has come as a double blow. Besides taking care of house chores, she has also to do her professional duty of Work from Home (WfH). On a positive note, in Indian context, the National Sample Survey Office’s (NSSO) decision to estimate the value of unpaid work, especially household chores by women, is, perhaps, the first step in registering the country’s unpaid labour. A report was expected by mid-2020 but not sure with Covid19 pandemic engulfing the country and shift in the priorities, this report could be expected at the given time. The unavoidable delay will further hamper the dire need to implement women targeted policies and to analyze and take action on shifts in labour participation rates.
Outside home too the emergence of women entrepreneurs or workers in a society depends to a great extent on the economic, social, religious, cultural and psychological factors prevailing in the society. This is well indicated by the facts that women constitute 48 per cent of the total population in India, but form 34 per cent total work force, 11 per cent of total entrepreneurs and around 6 per cent of total self-employed in the country. But in developed countries like United States women own nearly 30 per cent of businesses and form over 70 per cent of new businesses.
Across countries, it is therefore right time to take a giant step, and go for women-sensitive transformative policy and programs along with change in society’s outlook towards women workforce as equal partners in development. This is the only way to empower women and all-round growth of a country. Around 45 days or more stay at home during lockdown will definitely make most men agree with the contribution of women in helping the male members focus on their economic activity, either at work place or while working from home. Therefore, post Covid pandemic, when countries’ economy will have to be revived almost from the bottom, the revival policies and programmes should be made more women-friendly and focus upon the economic empowerment of women. It is time to acknowledge and reward women at home, who are putting hours of hard work to ensure their families well being, and are playing a key role, even if indirectly, in putting the country’s economy on track.
Originally posted here
https://medium.com/@cms.alok/women-the-invisible-workforce-time-for...
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