Region: Rwanda
Sector: Gender, Livelihoods
Background:
A women’s empowerment network commissioned a study to explore how rural women were participating in economic life and what barriers they faced in accessing credit, markets, and land.
Approach:
We used a feminist research lens, combining 700 structured surveys with storytelling interviews.
We analyzed access to productive resources, time use, decision-making autonomy, and informal work burdens.
Participatory rural appraisals helped map gendered value chains.
Findings:
Women spent an average of 9 hours/day on unpaid work. Only 15% owned land, and fewer than 10% accessed formal credit. Despite this, women led 60% of microenterprises in poultry, crafts, and vegetable sales. Patriarchal norms and limited mobility constrained scale-up.
