Driving Global Change: Advancing Gender Equality

Gender inequality is one of the greatest obstacles to sustainable development and poverty reduction. When women and girls face violence in public spaces, are denied equal access to education, and earn less for equal work, poverty cannot be reduced. Fighting poverty therefore goes hand in hand with achieving gender equality.

Despite progress over the past decades, the world is still far from achieving gender equality. In some areas, the situation has even worsened, especially following the COVID-19 pandemic. The so-called gender gap – the divide between genders – would need to be closed 100% to achieve full gender equality. This means equal access to education, employment, income, and opportunities for all genders. Progress toward gender equality stands at 68.8% in 2025, with over 30% of the gap still remaining. At the current pace of progress, it will take another 123 years to fully close the gender gap. As gender equality contributes to poverty reduction, for Caritas Switzerland it is clear: we cannot afford to wait another century. Gender equality must advance more rapidly.

Caritas Switzerland strives to contribute to greater gender equality in our programs across Latin America, Africa, Asia, the Middle East, and Europe. We focus on two aspects: gender mainstreaming, and women empowerment.

Mainstreaming Gender across all Projects

Gender mainstreaming means taking into account the different gender perspectives and promoting gender equality across all projects – in all phases: planning and design, implementation, and monitoring and evaluation. Gender is thus not treated as a separate issue, but integrated – mainstreamed – in all stages.

For example, a gender analysis early in project development provides important insights into the differing needs and interests of men and women, boys and girls. This information informs project implementation on the ground. For instance, in an agricultural project in Kosovo (predecessor of the EREA project – see below), one key finding of the gender analysis was that women’s roles in agriculture often remained unregistered and unrecognized, posing one of the biggest challenges to their participation in this sector. Consequently, the project supported the registration process of women-led businesses and conducted advisory sessions to inform women about the process.

Also, we document in all our projects how women and men are involved in the project. The number of project participants is categorized into women, men, and «diverse» – to also include those who do not identify as either female or male.

Empowering Women and Girls

Caritas Switzerland integrates gender mainstreaming across all its projects – not only those specifically focused on women and girls. In addition to gender mainstreaming, Caritas Switzerland also implements targeted projects that aim to empower women and girls directly.

Achieving gender equality and closing the gender gap requires empowering women to participate equally in decision-making processes, privately and publicly. When women’s roles are strengthened, they are more likely to participate in the workforce, earn income, gain more control over resources and decisions, and invest in the health and education of their families. This contributes to overall development and well-being. Women empowerment is a key factor in international cooperation, as it promotes gender equality and addresses the root causes of poverty and inequality.

Selected Caritas Switzerland projects driving women’s empowerment

• The project «Empowering Rural Economies in Agriculture (EREA)» in Kosovo has addressed structural barriers and enables women, particularly from rural and non-majority communities, to become active economic agents, advancing women‘s economic empowerment in Kosovo‘s agricultural sector.
• The project «Improved economic prospects, education and health for women and children in Tigray» in Ethiopia supports women on their path to economic independence through training, mentoring, savings groups, and start-up assistance. It also enhances their well-being and resilience through psychosocial support, access to health care, and education, and by fostering a safe, empowering environment for them and their families.

• The project «Tejiendo redes de protección» in Bolivia focuses on empowering young women who have experienced violence by providing legal, medical, and psychosocial support. It strengthens their resilience and promotes their active participation in society through vocational training and life skills development. At the community level, the project also promotes prevention and protection mechanisms through schools, local organizations, and public institutions.

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More information

• Espresso diplomatique Live: Crises everywhere – let’s not lose sight of women

• Development Policy

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Header image: In Southern Ethiopia, Caritas supports women to start small businesses and thus graduate out of extreme poverty. © Cartier Philanthropy/Andrea Borgarello