The Business Case for Women's Employment in Agribusiness
This publication aims to fill existing gaps in the literature regarding women’s paid employment in agribusiness, especially with respect to emerging economies. Women workers’ contribution to agribusiness is neither fully understood nor fully valued...
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| Language: | English |
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Washington, DC
2017
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| Online Access: | http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/504741511503597076/The-business-case-for-womens-employment-in-agribusiness http://hdl.handle.net/10986/28974 |
| Summary: | This publication aims to fill existing
gaps in the literature regarding women’s paid employment in
agribusiness, especially with respect to emerging economies.
Women workers’ contribution to agribusiness is neither fully
understood nor fully valued. The majority of research on
women’s participation in agribusiness in emerging economies
focuses on small-holder farming contexts, rather than direct
employment relationships or women’s participation in
management. Furthermore, there is limited analysis of the
business gains associated with proactive interventions
related to women’s employment. This publication aims to fill
these gaps by: Providing a practical look at
enterprise-level practices on women’s employment in
agribusiness; and Considering how companies can better
support women employees and how this can have a positive
impact on companies’ bottom line. There is an established
business case for private sector investment in women’s
employment, which also applies to agribusiness. Companies
that invest in women can improve their access to labor and
talent, can lower the costs of recruitment and (re)training
by reducing labor turnover, can drive innovation and
cohesion through having a more diverse workforce and
management team, and can improve productivity through
stronger teams and employee motivation. Moreover, proven
compliance and quality employment can improve access to
quality buyers. Thus, agribusiness companies who do not
invest in women are potentially missing out on important
business gains, and policy-makers are missing a potential
lever to open up equal opportunities, and ratchet up labor
standards, to support inclusive growth for women workers in
agriculture. The focus of this publication is women that are
directly employed, paid labor, predominantly among larger
employers. While smallholder and outgrower farming has a
vital role to play in rural development, it is not the main
subject here. |
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