The Women’s Economic Empowerment and Leadership Activity (WEELA) will use EnCompass’ Champions of Change approach to work with private sector firms, the government, community-based organizations (CBOs), and other high-level stakeholders to create an enabling environment for women to undertake waged employment in Jordan. WEELA will identify, convene, and strengthen private sector, government, community, and individual champions to create pathways to waged employment by designing positive campaigning and messaging that encourage women to consider career choices in high-growth, priority sectors and promote the recruitment, retention, and advancement of women in Jordan’s labor force.

Using a targeted sector and regional focus, WEELA seeks to contribute to increasing women’s access to waged employment and leadership opportunities by improving access to the job market and demand-driven job skills and leadership training that responds to market needs. WEELA will identify and address inequalities and prohibitive social norms and traditions and offer solutions that support an equitable and inclusive workforce enabling environment. WEELA interventions will transform socio-cultural norms at the household and community level by breaking down barriers and negative perceptions that impede women’s labor force participation and advancement. The Activity will aim to improve workplace and employment policies by establishing a workforce policy lab that supports research and advocacy for women’s inclusion in the labor market; providing key workplace and leadership skills; and creating a conducive female-friendly work environment within champion firms.

The goal is to establish pathways through which social change and economic opportunities lead to a systemic shift from women’s exclusion to inclusion in market systems, and increase women’s economic participation in the private sector by exploring childcare alternatives and identifying safe transportation solutions for women to get to work. This holistic approach will bridge the gap between women’s and men’s inclusion in the workforce and, overall, will contribute to inclusive economic growth in Jordan.

Photo: Woman’s Day by USAID Jordan on Flickr