This study answers the question “To what extent has LIFT contributed to furthering gender equality and women’s empowerment?” It assesses the degree to which LIFT’s gender strategies’ objectives have been achieved and identifies effective ways for LIFT to further gender equality and women’s empowerment in the future. The study covers all LIFT’s thematic and geographic areas, with in-depth analysis of LIFT and implementing partners’ work in nutrition, financial inclusion, migration, social protection and inclusive value chains. Across these areas, the recommendations include conducting gender analysis and identifying barriers to participation of excluded individuals and households to make project design responsive and inclusive; and ensuring that men and other non-traditional target groups are included in interventions to address gender relations and women’s empowerment. Unpaid care work and triple roles of women (productive, reproductive and community) need to be addressed, to recognise, reduce and redistribute work across all programming. Women’s leadership can be supported and developed by creating specific opportunities for emerging women leaders to take on roles across various levels and platforms.
