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This paper examines the effectiveness of
a variety of policy interventions that have been tried in
developing and transition economies with the goal of
improving women's employability and quality of work.
The programs include active labor market programs, education
and training programs, programs that facilitate work (such
as childcare subsidies, parental leave programs and land
titling programs), microfinance programs, entrepreneurship
and leadership programs, and conditional cash transfer
programs. Some of these policy interventions were undertaken
to increase employment, some to increase female employment,
and some for other reasons. All of these programs have been
subjected to impact evaluations of different kinds and some
also to rigorous cost-benefit analyses. Many were found to
be effective in increasing women's quantity of work as
measured by increased rates of labor market participation
and number of hours worked. In some cases, the programs also
increased women's quality of work, for example, by
increasing the capacity for women to work in the formal
rather than the informal sector where wages are higher and
where women are more likely to have access to health,
retirement, and other benefits.
