Project: Local Economic Development Mapping and Gender Mainstreaming Study
Client: Swisscontact Bangladesh
Services: In-depth Research (Qualitative and Quantitative)
Duration: 2019
Swisscontact Bangladesh implemented their Prabriddhi project, a pilot, in two municipalities in Bangladesh where marginalized communities, especially women, were participating in intervention activities that will increase their capacity to earn higher incomes from their engagements in the market. As part of its intention to scale-up the intervention and take it nationwide, Prabriddhi required a comprehensive understanding of the situation of women in the pilot areas and the barriers they face in achieving economic empowerment. Swisscontact Bangladesh engaged DEVCOM to analyze the existing landscape of opportunities for economic development and empowerment of women under the existing Local Economic Development (LED) under the banner of Prabriddhi. The purpose of the Gender Study was to analyze societal acceptance, attitudes and perceptions towards women and their participation in economic activities on the one hand, and on the other, to analyze the barriers and scope for expansion into key economic sectors for women as understood by the participants at the municipality level.