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Expanding job opportunities for women represents a powerful driver of growth and prosperity.

IDB Invest promotes investment strategies that strengthen women’s leadership, encourage better workplace practices, and support products and services that create new markets and improve women’s access to job opportunities.

We are committed to advancing this work with our clients, supporting projects that generate impact to build more resilient societies, stronger economies, and more prosperous countries.

Through the following videos, we invite you to see how we work: our partnerships with clients, the innovation of our initiatives, and the impact for beneficiaries.

 

More Employment in the Renewable Energy Sector
with Atlas (Brazil)

Social Transformation through Better Roads
with Xochi – Corredor de las Flores (Guatemala)

Financing to Strengthen MSMEs
with Konfío (Mexico)

New Job Opportunities and Talent Retention
with Cálidda (Peru)

Growth and Innovation in the Amazon region
with Sicredi (Brazil)

Value Chains that empower the Agri-food Sector
with Danper (Peru)

| Challenges and Opportunities

 

Why is having a gender equality strategy good for business?

An annual GDP growth opportunity of US$2.6 billion for the region’s labor market in 2025 is forecast if women participate in the market economy to the same extent as men.



Women influence 80% of household purchases. In 2014, 54% of the women in the region were in the workforce--an increase of 44% since 1990--and Caribbean women had the highest participation rates.
 

There are between 1.2 and 1.4 million micro-, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the region owned by women, representing 40% of the total. However, female business owners face higher barriers to accessing financing and often obtain less attractive conditions than men.



At IDB Invest, we work with our clients to narrow some of these gender gaps and to find new business opportunities.

 

| Our Commitment

 

At IDB Invest, we believe that inclusion in the broadest sense enables companies to create inclusive work place atmospheres where all workers, regardless of their gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, or physical ability, feel respected and included and can perform to their fullest potential, helping businesses thrive.

Human talent, when diverse and inclusive, benefits companies because it boosts innovation and the discovery of new markets as well as improves financial results. IDB Invest gives advice on gender equality, diversity, and inclusion through innovative financial and non-financial solutions, producing positive results for our clients and society at large.

Publications

  • December 2023

    Women Rising: A study of the growing financial power of the women’s market in LAC, and what this means for financial institutions

    See more information
  • December 2023

    Digital Transformation for Financial Inclusion in Latin America and the Caribbean

    See more information
  • June 2023

    Pride in Action: A Guide to LGBTQ+ Workplace Inclusion in Latin America and the Caribbean

    See more information
  • November 2021

    Equality needs everyone: The role of men in gender equity, diversity and inclusion

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  • March 2019

    Report: Gender Lens Investing: How Finance Can Accelerate Gender Equality in Latin America and the Caribbean

    See more information
  • March 2019

    DEBrief: Gender Lens Investing: How Finance Can Accelerate Gender Equality in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC)

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  • October 2018

    Report: For equality we make the difference - Financial incentives to close the gender gap

    See more information

| Meet Our Expert

Paula leads the Sustainability and MSMEs Team at IDB Invest, which she joined in 2019. She is responsible for the intersection of private sector and sustainable development.

Before joining the IDB Group, she led the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Business Call to Action, a global platform that promotes inclusive businesses and their contribution to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Paula previously worked at Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) in New York, where she provided advice to global corporations on topics including responsible sourcing, human rights, and sustainability strategy. She worked with CARE Canada and the Aga Khan Foundation in the development of value chains, impact investments, and microfinance.

Paula earned a master’s degree in environmental studies from York University (Canada) and a professional degree in industrial engineering from Universidad de los Andes (Colombia).

Contact: [email protected]