Gender-Responsive Macro-Level Policies and Women's Economic Empowerment in Sub-Saharan Africa: An Evidence and Gap Map.

Abstract

Background: Women's economic empowerment is a key development goal; yet, significant gender inequalities in employment, income, and economic decision-making persist in low- and middle-income countries, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. Even with economic growth, women are often stuck in informal and precarious jobs, facing structural barriers related to labor markets, access to finance, asset ownership, and restrictive legal frameworks. Most existing research on Women's economic empowerment has focused on micro-level interventions, such as financial support, training, and mentorship, providing limited insights into the impact of macro-level and structural policies. New research suggests that macroeconomic, fiscal, and labor market policies are not gender-neutral; they can shape employment opportunities and income security differently, particularly in contexts with unequal unpaid care responsibilities. However, evidence on macro-level, gender-responsive policies and their effects on women's economic empowerment remains scattered across various policy areas and outcomes in sub-Saharan Africa. This Evidence and Gap Map systematically identifies, categorizes, and maps the existing evidence to facilitate informed policy-making, prioritize research, and guide future synthesis.

Objectives: To map evidence on gender-responsive macro-level policies and their impact on women's economic empowerment in sub-Saharan Africa.

Search methods: From January to September 2024, we searched the following databases, limiting our results to English language publications: CAB Abstracts, Web of Science, Dimensions, and Scopus. We also utilized gray literature sources, including organizational databases, Google Scholar, and registries.

Selection criteria: Two reviewers independently screened the titles, abstracts, and full texts of potentially eligible articles to determine their inclusion based on the specified eligibility criteria. Studies were included if they focused on populations in sub-Saharan Africa, examined macro-level gender-responsive policies, reported outcomes related to women's economic empowerment, and utilized either primary or systematic or scoping review study designs.

Data collection and analysis: We developed and pilot-tested a data extraction code set in EPPI-Reviewer, where data were extracted and coded in duplicate. To evaluate the quality of the reviews, we employed the AMSTAR2 tool; however, we did not assess the quality of the primary studies.

Main results: This Evidence and Gap Map includes a total of 245 articles made up of 224 primary studies and 21 systematic and scoping reviews that evaluate the impact of gender-responsive macro-level policies on women's economic empowerment. The majority of the studies focused on social protection and informal economy policy interventions, with women's economic opportunities and well-being being the most frequently examined outcomes. Most of the research was conducted in South Africa (about 17% of the included studies) Significant gaps were identified in advocacy interventions for women's economic empowerment, as well as in the exploration of women's agency as an outcome related to their economic empowerment. Additionally, most of the evidence is based on non-experimental and qualitative study designs, indicating a substantial gap for future research. The systematic reviews incorporated in this EGM are predominantly of moderate quality, with less than 30% categorized as high quality.

Authors’ conclusions: The Evidence and Gap Map reveals a substantial yet uneven body of evidence regarding women's economic empowerment interventions in sub-Saharan African countries. The evidence is most concentrated around social protection policies and interventions in the informal economy, with strong coverage of outcomes related to women's economic opportunities and well-being. These areas are comparatively well-researched and provide opportunities for further evidence synthesis to guide policy and program design. In contrast, there is limited evidence on agency-related outcomes and implementation processes, which hampers understanding of how and why interventions foster empowerment. Additionally, macroeconomic policies and women's economic empowerment advocacy interventions are underrepresented, despite their importance in addressing structural barriers to women's economic participation. Methodologically, the evidence base is primarily composed of non-experimental and summative evaluations, with fewer studies using rigorous designs that can identify causal effects or track long-term empowerment trajectories. Overall, the map highlights both well-established evidence clusters and significant gaps, especially concerning structural interventions, empowerment processes, and methodological diversity.