This knowledge exchange and participatory project was funded by the University of Westminster (Research England, Participatory Research Fund) to support the gender empowerment practices of social enterprises in the UK. Following a participatory research approach, the project was co-created with social enterprises, their women beneficiaries and Social Enterprise UK (SEUK), a Gender Empowerment Guide for use by social enterprises to empower the women they employ.
Social enterprises are businesses committed to social justice – working to address the biggest social and environmental challenges we face. In a world dominated by gender inequality, many are also working to empower women – creating jobs, opening up opportunities and tackling patriarchal attitudes. Women lead 47% of social enterprises, and 83% have women on their leadership teams. On average, 61% of the workforce at social enterprises are women, compared to 48% of the national average (SEUK, 2021). Social enterprises are at the forefront of pushing for a gender-equal world, but how do we make sure that gender empowerment is embedded into their work and day-to-day operations?
Since November 2021, our research group (Professor Lilian Miles, Dr Maria Granados, Dr Vincent Rich and Dr Anastasia Alexeeva) has organised several knowledge exchange workshops (online and face to face) to support social enterprises interested in empowering their women beneficiaries with the support of Social Enterprise UK (SEUK). We have invited social enterprises to attend workshops at the University of Westminster several times this year, where we discussed and provided practical advice using Theory of Change, the Social Relations Approach, Design Thinking and Impact Measurement to develop strategies to empower women beneficiaries (read more).
Achieving gender equality and empowerment remains a significant challenge in the UK. The lack of consensus around what gender empowerment means, the various contexts within which women live, and their different needs and circumstances pose challenges for organisations advancing gender empowerment. Social enterprises have a great potential in helping gender empowerment. in 2022, we worked with SE UK, social enterprises and their women beneficiaries to develop a Gender Empowerment Guide for use by social enterprises to empower the women they employ. The guide showcases best practice, potential challenges, and examples of indicators to measure the effectiveness and impact of gender empowerment practices.
The guide is now available as an interactive resource.
For more information about this project please contact:
- Dr Maria Granados ([email protected])
- Professor Lilian Miles ([email protected])
- Dr Anastasia Alexeeva ([email protected])
We thank our Research Assistant Hannah Paley for her valuable support. ([email protected])
