Women empowerment

Pathway to Women’s Empowerment in Zanzibar (POWERZ)

POWERZ was developed in response to a critical but overlooked gap in global health and social science research: older women in low-resource settings often remain economically active and socially responsible within households and communities, yet their everyday struggles with near vision impairment, restricted agency, and limited social recognition are rarely addressed together. Building on earlier WE-ZACE findings in Zanzibar, the project recognises that correcting presbyopia may improve functional capacity, but that functional improvement alone does not automatically translate into empowerment, decision-making power, dignity, or economic security. POWERZ therefore investigates how near-vision correction, combined with structured mentoring and social support, interacts with gender norms, household dynamics, ageing, and economic systems to shape women’s lived experiences and empowerment trajectories over time. Using longitudinal diaries, ethnography, workshops, and repeated surveys, the project aims to explain how, for whom, and under what conditions enabling interventions influence agency, wellbeing, productivity, and social recognition among older Zanzibari craftswomen.

Empowerment

Global Gender Disparities in Access to Refractive Error Services: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

The study examined global evidence on gender disparities in access to refractive error services through a systematic review and meta-analysis of published literature from low-, middle-, and high-income settings. The findings showed that women consistently experienced lower access to refractive error correction and spectacle services compared with men, despite often carrying a higher burden of visual impairment. The review highlighted how financial barriers, limited mobility, sociocultural norms, lower health literacy, and gendered power dynamics contribute to inequitable access to eye care services. We argue that refractive error programmes and policies must adopt gender-responsive approaches to ensure equitable access to vision care and reduce avoidable vision impairment among women globally.

From blurry to bold: The case for presbyopia care and education for older women in low- and middle-income countries

We argue that uncorrected presbyopia among older women in low- and middle-income countries is not merely a vision problem, but a neglected issue linked to gender inequality, economic exclusion, reduced wellbeing, and limited participation in lifelong learning. Drawing on evidence from global eye health, education, and women’s empowerment research, the paper highlights how older women are frequently overlooked within health systems and development agendas despite remaining economically and socially active. The perspective proposes that presbyopia correction, particularly through affordable near-vision spectacles, represents one of the safest, cheapest, and most scalable interventions for improving older women’s productivity, confidence, independence, and social participation. It further calls for integrated women-targeted programmes that combine eye health services with adult education, livelihood support, and gender-responsive policies to promote healthy ageing and empowerment.

A scoping review of women’s capacity-building initiatives in low- and middle-income countries examining design, implementation, and barriers for sustainable development

In this scoping review, we examined how women’s capacity-building initiatives in low- and middle-income countries are designed, implemented, and sustained across diverse health, education, and economic contexts. We identified that while many programmes aim to improve women’s skills, confidence, and economic participation, relatively few address the broader structural and sociocultural barriers that limit long-term empowerment and sustainability. The review highlighted recurring challenges including limited funding continuity, weak community engagement, inadequate monitoring systems, gender norms, and poor integration with local policies and support structures. We argue that future capacity-building initiatives should adopt more context-sensitive, participatory, and systems-oriented approaches that move beyond short-term training towards sustainable empowerment and social change.

A scoping review of theoretical and measurement approaches to women’s empowerment in low-and middle-income countries’ capacity-building interventions

In this scoping review, we examined how women’s empowerment has been conceptualised, theorised, and measured within capacity-building interventions conducted in low- and middle-income countries. We found substantial variation in the definitions and frameworks used across studies, with many interventions measuring empowerment through narrow economic or participation indicators while paying limited attention to relational, social, and contextual dimensions of agency. The review also identified inconsistencies in the use of validated measurement tools and highlighted a lack of longitudinal approaches capable of capturing how empowerment evolves over time. We argue that future interventions and evaluations should adopt clearer theoretical foundations and more comprehensive, context-sensitive measures to better understand the complex and dynamic nature of women’s empowerment.