Social Protection: A powerful tool for advancing gender equality and empowering women and girls

Social protection systems prevent and protect people – especially women and girls – from poverty, vulnerability and social exclusion throughout the course of their lives. Access to social protection is a human right and a powerful tool to empower women and girls and promote gender equality. Strong social protection systems increase women’s income, assets and financial decision-making, support girls to stay in school, delay early marriage and pregnancy, and provide economic and social security in later years. A strong social protection system incorporates a range of contributory and non-contributory policies and programmes - including cash and in-kind transfers, skills training, maternity/paternity and sickness benefits, social care services and pensions. 

You can read our context-specific thematic briefs below: