Photo via Unsplash, Sai de Silva More ride-hailing companies are offering women-centred services, but do they get women on the road? The next time you open your favourite ride-hailing app, you may find a surprising feature: the option to choose a woman driver or rider. Safety is a determining factor when women decide how, when, … Continue reading Women-only Ride-hailing: New Data from the Market
Category: Gender
Building Inclusive Platforms- A Conversation with Jumia and Lazada
The rapid digital transformation underway in many emerging markets has the potential to have an equally transformative impact for women entrepreneurs. However, critical gaps in access to the internet and mobile phones can limit the ability to work in tech-enabled jobs or to compete as entrepreneurs. This event draws on recent IFC research on the rise … Continue reading Building Inclusive Platforms- A Conversation with Jumia and Lazada
Interview on CNBC Power Lunch
How to accelerate women participation in Africa’s e-commerce industry. Alexa Roscoe sits down with Zinathi Gquma on CNBC Africa's Power Lunch to discuss the findings of new research that shows how e-commerce can put billions in the hands of women entrepreneurs. To watch the interview visit CNBC Africa.
Women & E-commerce: A $300 Billion Opportunity
Copyright International Finance Corporation E-commerce is thriving in Africa and Southeast Asia. IFC leveraged data Jumia and Lazada, two of the largest e-commerce platforms in Africa and Southeast Asia respectively, and found that this growth could be even higher if we invest in women entrepreneurs on e-commerce platforms. The reports ‘Women and E-commerce in Africa’ … Continue reading Women & E-commerce: A $300 Billion Opportunity
A conversation with Bolt, PickMe and Uber
Photo via Unsplash, Andy Art What role are women playing in the ride-hailing market? Can ride-hailing improve women’s mobility and work opportunities? From addressing safety to designing new products, hear about the results of three global studies and share in a discussion of practical challenges and solutions from Uber, Bolt, and PickMe. To watch the … Continue reading A conversation with Bolt, PickMe and Uber
Using AI for women’s economic empowerment: How can it work?
Photo via Unsplash, Jayshoots Caroline Rubin, Julia Hakspiel and Bobbi Gray from the WEE Working Group spoke with Alexa Roscoe, Disruptive Technology Lead at IFC’s Gender and Economic Inclusion Group, and Lana Graf, Principal Industry Specialist for Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning at IFC about ways in which digital technologies can support the women’s economic empowerment. … Continue reading Using AI for women’s economic empowerment: How can it work?
Women & ride-hailing in Sri Lanka
Photo Copyright International Finance Corporation Few industries have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic more than the transport industry. Both the public and private sector, including ride-hailing, are looking for solutions that will ensure a sustainable future. To ensure a resilient recovery from the pandemic and the opportunity to thrive, it is essential for companies … Continue reading Women & ride-hailing in Sri Lanka
After COVID, will women return to ride-hailing?
Photo via Unsplash, Flo Carr Alexa explores how ride-hailing has been impacted by the COVID pandemic, and how it can serve some it's most important riders: women. To read the rest of the article, visit Thompson Reuters.
Navigating the debate on women-only transport
Photo Via Unsplash, Jenny Ueberberg Segregated transport remains heavily debated both in terms of its benefits to women and its efficacy within broader transport systems. Proponents claim that it helps meet women’s urgent needs for safe transportation, one of the biggest barriers to women’s economic participation, and represents an important step forward for women whose … Continue reading Navigating the debate on women-only transport
#Digital2Equal: Expanding opportunities for women
This movement is a result of a partnership with the European Commission and unites leaders across the tech sector in order to utilize online marketplace to enhance opportunities for women competing in emerging markets. The initiative seeks to ensure that emerging technologies and business models—including the platform economy—benefit both women and men. Women already lag … Continue reading #Digital2Equal: Expanding opportunities for women
Five things a global study on ride-hailing tells us about women and the sharing economy
Photo via Unsplash, Courtney Cook The opportunities and risks of sharing economy models are particularly relevant for women, as they both have more to gain from greater participation and more to lose if they are excluded from new forms of income or assets. With this new research, ride-hailing companies are well-placed take the lead in … Continue reading Five things a global study on ride-hailing tells us about women and the sharing economy
The Money Show with Bruce Whitfield
An engaging discussion of the South African report findings for "Driving Toward Equality" took place on The Money Show with Bruce Whitfield. "He plays host to major players in the business arena, from blue-chip company CEOs to industry experts, and the entrepreneurs making waves in South Africa. Bruce interviews a well-known guest about their attitudes … Continue reading The Money Show with Bruce Whitfield
Three lessons companies need to master to lead in the women’s economy
It’s time for a more nuanced analysis of what the women’s economy really looks like and how it will evolve in the future.
Women and innovation: Making the connection
Photo via Unsplash, Andy Kelly There is growing evidence that greater gender equality leads to increased business innovation, and companies that pay attention stand to reap great rewards. This article was initially published on the Stanford Social Innovation Review. For the full article, please visit the website. For more of Alexa's work, read her profile or visit her … Continue reading Women and innovation: Making the connection
Towards an ecosystem for women’s financial inclusion- what next?
Photo via Steve Johnson, Unsplash Recently I had the honor of presenting at the PowerShift Conference on Women in the World Economy, hosted by the Oxford University Saïd Business School. PowerShift was hands down the most inspiring conference I have ever attended, largely because it drew together companies, NGOs and academics in a way which … Continue reading Towards an ecosystem for women’s financial inclusion- what next?
Three insights on feminist economics from Oxford PowerShift
Photo via Unsplash, Tetiana Shynsky Last week I had the honor of speaking at Oxford’s PowerShift Conference on Women in the World Economy. Rarely have I been in one room with so many accomplished women and rarely have I come away from any event feeling so inspired. Part of the feeling came from the many … Continue reading Three insights on feminist economics from Oxford PowerShift
Empowerment beyond the buzzword: Unintended consequences of women’s economic empowerment
Photo via Unsplash, Micheile Empowering women is not without risks – we need to identify and overcome them. There’s a statistic that most development practitioners will have heard quite frequently: empowering women farmers would decrease the number of hungry by up to 150 million. There are many facts like it, all meant to make the case … Continue reading Empowerment beyond the buzzword: Unintended consequences of women’s economic empowerment
What the BBC didn’t say about workers in Bangladesh
Photo via Unsplash, Yaopey Yong The BBC's recent Panorama investigation, Dying for a Bargain, brought welcome attention to the issue of workers' rights in the Bangladesh garment sector, where more than 1,100 people recently died in the collapse of a garment factory at Rana Plaza. It rightly pointed out that up to a million people work in … Continue reading What the BBC didn’t say about workers in Bangladesh
Three reasons why the UK National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights should prioritise gender
This week the UK government takes the historic step of becoming one of the first institutions to make an official statement on how companies should operationalize the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, more commonly known as the Ruggie Principles. Leading the process to formalize the ambitious but sometimes vague standards laid … Continue reading Three reasons why the UK National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights should prioritise gender
Why the Ruggie Principles require every company to empower women
Photo via Unsplash Duncan Shaffer I’ve written previously that there is business case for companies to empower women; what I didn't mention was that even if there were not, there would still be a strong legal case for them to do so. The global standard for the responsibilities of business vis-à-vis human rights is the … Continue reading Why the Ruggie Principles require every company to empower women
The evolution of multi-stakeholder initiatives: Lessons for the Bangladesh garment sector
Photo via Unsplash, Sazzad Bin Jafor In the months since the Rana Plaza factory collapse in Bangladesh sparked a drive to address worker health and safety in the garment sector, I’ve been suffering a severe case of déjà vu. Here’s how it has played out: high-profile exposure of human rights abuses, coupled with intense lobbying … Continue reading The evolution of multi-stakeholder initiatives: Lessons for the Bangladesh garment sector
Alexa Roscoe 