Why Prosper helps women
- ellenarnison
- Jun 12
- 2 min read
The whole community benefits when women get help with their businesses
Women often act as powerful multipliers of development support because of the roles they play and the choices they make. When aid targets women, it tends to produce more sustainable and widespread benefits.
“For us, targeting women and supporting them to build better businesses makes sense. We have seen it for many years; women are particularly disadvantaged so there is an impact in providing programmes created to help them. Additionally, we know that when women build stronger futures, they are in a better position to support their families and communities now, and in the future,” said Fred Fenwick, Prosper CEO.
Studies have shown that women typically reinvest up to 90% of their income into their families compared to 30 – 40% for men. This includes spending on education, healthcare, nutrition and housing. One impact of this is a stronger, healthier next generation who are better equipped to build their own prosperity.
Women are more likely to run small businesses in the informal economy. Supporting them with training about this, such as Prosper’s image-based programme, results in business growth and greater financial independence. Female entrepreneurs also tend to hire and support other women. This strengthens the local community.
Supporting women in the knowledge that this will mean their daughters have better access to education brings benefits. Each additional year of schooling can raise future earnings by 10 to 20%.
Our projects are created for tackling poverty rather than gender equality, however, a by-product of this economic approach is that gender differences are reduced.
Gender inequality is a problem to global economy – giving women the same economic opportunities as men would add about US$12trillion to GDP. The link between women’s empowerment and economic growth is well established, on both a world-wide and local level. Women invest in the next generation, and they bring different perspectives to decision making that drives innovation.
“When we think about the ‘return on investment’ of our programmes, it’s significant,” Fred added. “Yes, women increase their income, but what’s transformative is how they use that income. That’s where lasting change begins.”
