Women-Inclusive Return on Investment (WI-ROI) Framework
- Partner: USAID Feed the Future Market Systems and Partnerships (MSP)
- Publication Type: Learning Brief
- Date: November 14, 2022
- Team: Erin Markel, Meghan Bolden, Larissa Schneider, and Queena Li
- Recommended Citation: MarketShare Associates (2022). Women-Inclusive Return on Investment (WI-ROI) Framework. Washington, D.C.: United States Agency for International Development (USAID). Prepared by Erin Markel, Meghan Bolden, Larissa Schneider, and Queena Li for DAI through the Feed the Future Market Systems and Partnerships (MSP) Activity, 2022.
Including and empowering women in the workforce is not just good for society, it’s good for business. Are you an advocate for women’s empowerment in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and looking for tools to encourage them to invest in inclusion for a tangible financial return? Check out Feed the Future Market Systems and Partnerships (MSP) new Women-Inclusive Return on Investment (WI-ROI) Framework, which builds on an existing body of evidence and research around the business case for investing in women’s inclusion. It also reflects the industry outlook on women’s inclusion at the firm level and highlights successful business strategies to achieve financial impact from investment in women’s inclusion. Inside you’ll find:
- Four business strategies (and specific practices) built on current evidence in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs): Talent and Leadership, Workplace Culture, Supply Chains and Consumers;
- Firm-level financial benefits of women’s inclusion and empowerment for privately owned firms in LMICs;
- Key building blocks for generating a potential WI-ROI, including specific metrics/key performance indicators; and
- Examples of good practices from SMEs in LMICs;
Interested in a quick snapshot? The Executive Summary provides a high-level overview of the key points from the full Framework.
This learning brief was originally published by the USAID Feed the Future Market Systems and Partnerships (MSP) Activity on Agrilinks on November 14, 2022.
