Gender-sensitive social enterprises are businesses that aim to improve the lives of women and girls by providing women with opportunities to earn, learn new skills and participate in decision-making processes.

Here are some examples of how they can help women and girls.

• Economic empowerment: Gender-sensitive social enterprises can provide women with opportunities to earn an income, start their own businesses and gain access to financial services. This can help to reduce women’s economic dependence and improve their standard of living.
• Education and training: Gender-sensitive social enterprises can provide women with access to education and training opportunities, which can help them to develop their skills and knowledge and improve their employment prospects.
• Healthcare and well-being: Gender-sensitive social enterprises can provide women with access to health services, which can improve their physical and mental health and well-being.
• Leadership development: Gender-sensitive social enterprises can provide women with opportunities to develop their leadership skills and participate in decision-making processes.

Examples of gender-sensitive social enterprises

A social enterprise that:

• provides childcare services to women who are working or studying
• provides financial literacy training to women
• provides vocational training to women from marginalised communities
• produces and sells sustainable sanitary products to women and girls

A social enterprise or community enterprise requires certain capital — for example, some basic infrastructure, some common resources and shared support systems; for learning, there needs to be some interest and capacity for learning. The infographic above shows some examples of the types of capital that are required.

Activity

Describe a gender-sensitive social enterprise that you have come across. Working in a small group, discuss and debate how that social enterprise has benefitted local women. Write down how you could start a social enterprise inspired by the existing enterprise you described.