Foreign aid and gender equality

Over the last decade, aid donors have made strong commitments to improving the lives of women and girls. These commitments have translated into a four-fold increase in foreign aid towards gender equality and women’s empowerment, increasing from US$6.5 billion in 2002, to US$25.5 billion in 2011.

There are encouraging signs that foreign aid has helped reduce gender inequality, benefittingwomen and girls. In this animation we look at how aid works to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment. The film is part of a series produced by UNU-WIDER with the programme 'ReCom–Research and Communication on Foreign Aid'. It can, for instance, be used when teaching students about aid and what it can help achieve.