At the inaugural Women’s Forum of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting – a conclave representing 53 countries and 2.2 billion people – the British Council’s Christine Wilson spoke about the role that social enterprise can play in empowering women and promoting economic opportunity. We wanted to know more.
How does social enterprise help to empower women?
Social enterprise can be a domain in which women have greater decision making power and influence than other sectors. In the UK, we see from the recent social enterprise survey that the sector not only comprises social enterprises that support women in the community it’s also an area where there is a greater proportion of women in leadership roles than in ‘business as usual’.
However, in thinking about social enterprise as a vehicle for women’s empowerment, I don’t want to claim that this is a silver bullet. For example, the evidence from microcredit programmes, despite claims of delivering women’s empowerment, has been inconclusive. Simply giving women training or access to finance is never enough; it’s important to consider the wider context.
Women Like Us, a UK social business that supports women in the workplace, understands that women, much more than men, face challenges in their careers once they start a family. They recognise the social and cultural context, and offer a range of resources to address those challenges.
But social enterprises can also challenge norms. Blackburne House, in Liverpool, supports vulnerable young women into education and employment. They also equip women with the skills to progress into technical professions and sectors, such as construction, in which women are under-represented. And that promotes longer-term change, supporting women to work, thrive and lead in sectors that were traditionally male dominated.
Why is social enterprise more effective than aid in promoting economic inclusion in marginalised communities?
When you look at economic empowerment, you need to consider what’s sustainable, rather than a quick fix. A social enterprise enables a woman to make money – we hope. It also enables her to employ people; to establish a supply chain; to spend the money she makes; and to benefit the local economy while also paying taxes at national level.
But for it to have greater impact on economic inclusion than a more traditional aid intervention, you need to look at the supporting structures for growth: education and training, support networks, access to finance and so on. That needs to be done in the wider economic context, to ensure the business is appropriate and that scaling is possible.
Beyond that, and this is where the British Council approach comes in, you need to look at the social and cultural context too. All too often, the dialogue around women’s empowerment focuses on the individual and their capacities. But opportunities for women are frequently limited by unequal access to opportunities and resources which is influenced by institutions and culture. Addressing this can mean challenging deep-rooted cultural and social norms, and those looking to use social enterprise as a tool for women’s economic empowerment need to look at that bigger picture.
You challenge the notion that social enterprise is invariably good for women. What limitations do you see?
I don’t want to cast aspersions on the gains that have been made, as the social enterprise sector should be rightly proud of how many women are in leadership positions.
But research would suggest that women in social enterprise face many of the same issues that affect any woman in business, such as accessing finance, while still being responsible for the lion’s share of household duties and caring for children or relatives. Just because a woman is running a social enterprise isn’t going to change that. So we can’t say it’s invariably good for women in that sense, as there needs to be a wider societal shift to address the latter.
I would also be cautious about promoting social enterprise as the natural home of the female entrepreneur. As I noted in a recent blog, there is a danger that social enterprise will end up as a second string, a bit player, a nice add-on to mainstream business. We should seek to understand what makes social enterprise the natural home of the female entrepreneur, and seek to replicate those conditions across all business. And we should encourage more mainstream business, whether start-up or established, to value social purpose and profit, equally.
Why was it important to bring this message to the Commonwealth Women’s Forum?
Empowering women and girls and achieving gender equality are crucial to creating inclusive, open and prosperous societies.
At the British Council, we promote dialogue to influence policies that benefit women and girls and partner with other organisations to create access and opportunity for women and girls.
This new forum is a great space to share our ways of working and the lessons we have learned in delivering programmes in social enterprise, empowering women, strengthening civil society and so on. But it’s also about making the connections and forging the global partnerships that produce lasting positive change.
Christine Wilson previously led the British Council’s social enterprise programme. She is now head of research and engagement for the British Council Society team, where she is currently working on a programme of research across areas such as gender equality, social entrepreneurship, justice and civil society. She is curating a British Council exhibition on the Sustainable Development Goals, and also leads the Next Generation research series. She is in her final year of an MSc on conflict research. She tweets on all the above and more as @SonicWhirls.
Content on this page is paid for and provided by the British Council, sponsor of the international social enterprise hub
