Gender equality and social inclusion (GESI)
The GESI practice at MSC provides gender-centric solutions to practitioners and policymakers. The team focuses on the two distinct but interconnected aspects—women’s financial inclusion and economic empowerment.
Our vision is to move the needle on gender equality in the medium to long term by enhancing women’s agency. We work to improve women’s social security, financial health, economic participation, and representation.
Over 22 years, we have developed niche expertise in equity-centered research and analysis, managing and evaluating gender-mainstreaming initiatives, capacity-building and training, and program design for gender equality.
Our clients include government agencies, philanthropic organizations, thought leaders, financial service providers, NGOs, pioneering leaders, community members, and subject matter experts across Africa and Asia.
For our research on the impact of COVID-19, see how COVID-19 recovery is likely to fail women—digital financial services can help, if designed well, and what does it take to nudge LMI to adopt DFS. Also, see the design to realize gender equality, women’s financial inclusion: what are the missing pieces of the puzzle?, improving the financial health and business prospects of women entrepreneurs, and reimagining the way we examine women-run businesses.
Please see our factsheets to understand how Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Senegal, Kenya, and Uganda perform across gender-specific indicators. You can view a comparison of the status across these countries here.
Latest insights from our side:
Decoding government support to women entrepreneurs in India
Grassroots women leaders transforming lives
RBIH whitepaper: Gender and finance in India
A tale of the “other” workers: An observation on home-based women workers in Indonesia
Track the Money: a Gendered Account of the Financial Life of Microbusiness Owners Across Asia and Africa
Women and DFS
Choice of Channel: Understanding how LMI women select a channel to conduct financial transactions
Women’s agent network—the missing link in India’s financial inclusion story: A supply-side perspective
Women Digital Ambassadors: Drivers of financial inclusion in rural areas of Indonesia
Job losses, business closure — Covid hit female entrepreneurs. Here’s how to support them
Caregiving, the hidden engine of the economy
Facilitating cottage, micro, small, and medium enterprises during the pandemic
Latest publications:
Digital gender equality strives to connect half the world to the internet
Bridging the care deficit
Unpacking the ground realities—what are we beginning to learn about women-owned businesses in Bangladesh?
The ‘other’ workers’ tale: Women home-based workers in Indonesia
Women’s Cooperatives: Digital Financial Inclusion Catalysts
Closing the digital gender divide: What’s next for the digital economy?
Women Digital Ambassadors: Drivers of financial inclusion in rural areas of Indonesia
Women Digital Ambassador: Linking agents to cooperatives for parity in financial inclusion
Delivering tailored digital business training in rural Indonesia through Women Digital Ambassador: What we learned so far
Women risk and consumer protection in online leading platforms in Indonesia
Women and credit
Latest events:
G20 Ministerial Conference on Women’s Empowerment
Perspective: Empowering Women Digitally
13th Asia-Pacific Financial Inclusion Forum: Policy approaches to support Green Financing of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises
Women In Enterprises Impediments in the Marketplace
Accelerating Care Economy in India
Building Bridges: Gender Equality Event on International Women’s Day
Barbershop event at UNESCO
Is financial equality for women just a dream in broad daylight?