​There is substantial work currently being done by the international development community to empower women and girls economically. However, despite this growing body of literature, there is not a strong evidence base to demonstrate that these interventions lead to better long term outcomes for women and girls, or what combination of these interventions is most effective.

This review assesses the quality and effectiveness of evaluation methods and approaches used to analyse the effects of programmes or projects on women and girls’ economic empowerment (WGEE). The objective is to provide information to improve the design and commissioning of evaluations to deliver stronger positive impacts across the different dimensions of women and girls’ economic empowerment. The review analysed evaluations that assessed some measure of women and girls’ economic empowerment in one or more of the following eight thematic areas: Financial services; Business development services; Skills training; Asset provision (both financial and physical); Social protection; Unions and fair employment; Trade and access to markets; Regulatory and legal frameworks.

This review makes practical recommendations for evaluators and researchers to more adequately capture the impacts of interventions on the multiple dimensions of women and girls’ economic empowerment.

Georgia Taylor and Paola Pereznieto