Women’s economic justice

Around the world, many women, especially in the Global South, are facing deep and growing economic hardship. This is not new. It’s the result of centuries of unfair global systems that have made life harder for women, particularly women of colour and those in low-income communities.

Many women face structural barriers to basic necessities because of harmful economic systems that are deeply rooted in neoliberal and colonial systems of oppression.

Women and girls in the Global South face limited work and life opportunities from an early age due to cuts in public services, a lack of affordable child and elder care, weak labour policies, inadequate legal protections, and unfair tax systems.

ActionAid is working to change these harmful economic systems. In partnership with women’s rights organisations, ActionAid calls for a transition to alternatives, such as feminist wellbeing economies that put people, care, and the planet first, instead of profit.

Find out more about women's economic justice, what is required to achieve it and what is meant by feminist wellbeing economies. 

Find out more

The gender pay gap

Unpaid care and domestic work

Laxmi is an e-rickshaw driver in Bhopal, central India.

Gig economy and women's rights

97%
of health workers in various countries in Africa say their wages are not enough to cover food or electricity .1

50%
Teachers' salaries have plummeted 50% across Africa in 5 years2

4
is the average number of years that a woman will work more than a man over her lifetime, including unpaid care.3

What is women's economic justice?

Women’s economic justice is the full realisation of women’s rights to participate in, benefit from, and shape economic systems and decisions—free from violence, exploitation, and discrimination.

It goes beyond individual economic empowerment to focus on changing structural inequality, including patriarchy, capitalism, colonialism, and neoliberalism.

Why do we need women's economic justice?

For decades, women around the world have been confronting a global economic system that is set against them, with barriers to decent and dignified work, few opportunities and protections of their labour rights, poor access to quality and affordable healthcare, and education, unstable incomes, and emotional stress. 

These struggles are often even greater for Black, Brown, migrant and Indigenous women—both in the Global South and in richer countries like those in Europe and North America.

Governments around the world have responded to economic problems with budget cuts, especially in healthcare, childcare, and decent work programmes, primarily in response to coercive economic advice from International Financial Institutions. These cuts hit women the hardest, making it even more difficult for them to support themselves and their families.

In many ways, the global economy depends on labour from women of colour, especially from the Global South — continuing old patterns of exploitation that go back to colonial times. Their labour is often unpaid, unrecognised and undervalued.

True women's economic justice requires a decolonial, feminist and just economic system, which we call feminist wellbeing economies (FWE). Find out what we mean by feminist wellbeing economies below.

Campaigning for women workers’ rights in the garment industry in Cambodia

Workers from some of Phnom Penh’s export garment factories took to the catwalk in 2014 in the clothes they produce for global high-street brands. The event, "Beautiful clothes: Ugly Reality", was organised by ActionAid Cambodia’s local partner, Workers Information Centre (WIC).

It sent a powerful message directly from the workers — 80% to 90% of whom are women - to the Cambodian government and the multibillion dollar brands, to demand an end to their exploitation.

Their demands included raising the monthly minimum wage to afford a dignified standard of living, and an end to short-term contracts that deny women maternity leave and expose them to effective dismissal if they fall pregnant.

Other demands include an end to forced overtime, to be treated with respect and not subjected to violence; and opportunities for higher education.

While empowering women individually is essential and a vital step toward gender equality, it is not sufficient on its own. It can place the burden on individuals, ignores structural inequalities, and often fails to deliver lasting change.

As long as the underlying systems and institutional structures that enable the economic exploitation of women remain intact, progress will be limited and challenging.

To create meaningful and lasting change, we need to address the root causes of economic injustice — including unequal access to resources, discriminatory labour practices, entrenched social norms that devalue women's work and by tackling the interconnected issues that shape women’s lives.

Only by dismantling these systemic barriers can we ensure that economic empowerment is both transformative and sustainable.

ActionAid embraces a human rights-based and systems change approach to women's economic justice.

What are feminist wellbeing economies?

A feminist wellbeing economy (FWE) is an economic system that puts people and the planet first instead of growth and profits.

ActionAid's work on feminist economic justice challenges the idea that there is only one way to run an economy.

We support alternative approaches developed by feminist economists, activists, women’s rights organisations (WROs), and social movements— that centre care, sustainability, dignity, and collective wellbeing rather than profit and growth at all cost.

The FWE is about more than just getting women better jobs. It means rethinking how the whole global economy works. It means challenging harmful practices like tax evasion, environmental destruction, and the exploitation of natural resources. It also means using new ways to measure progress — like wellbeing and community health, not just money.4

Achieving economic justice for women requires deep, structural change. It means listening to women’s voices, valuing their work (paid and unpaid), and making sure economic systems work for everyone—not just the wealthy few.

As the world continues to rebuild amidst multiple crises — including conflict, public health, and climate — we believe this is a crucial moment to reimagine economies that are just, sustainable and feminist.

Our work supports the leadership of women and girls — especially those from the most marginalised communities — to demand accountability, claim their rights, and collectively drive structural change.

ActionAid's commitment to women's economic justice

We are committed to transforming the global economic system so that it works for women and girls in all their diversity.

For too long, the existing economic system has reinforced gender inequality, exploited women's labour, and deepened power imbalances — both within countries and between the Global North and Global South.

At ActionAid UK, we support women's rights organisations in:

Valuing all forms of women’s work, especially unpaid and underpaid care work.
Ensuring access to decent work, living wages, and social protection.
Securing public services — like health, education, and childcare —that are gender-responsive and adequately funded.
Redistributing power and resources, including across the Global North and South.
Challenging and dismantling the economic, social and political systems that maintain women's exclusion and exploitation.

How women's are reclaiming their economic rights in Malawi

In Malawi, women farmers produce 70% of the country’s food.

Despite women inheriting land from their mothers, men often grab it from them, taking the largest cut of the profits.

“My brother tried to steal land from my us when he brought his new wife to the village,” says Zenia.

Traditionally we do not question male relatives, so I felt powerless to stop him.”

Zenia joined an ActionAid women’s group where she learned about her legal rights and how to assert them. She worked with community members and successfully reclaimed her land.

Zuwairiya (right) navigates the daily hardships of raising her children in Angwagwagwalada, illustrating the urgent need for economic justice and community investment.

Ugochukwu Onuoha/ActionAid

The everyday impacts of the IMF policies on austerity in Nigeria

Zuwairiya, a mother of seven in Angwagwagwalada, near Nigeria’s federal capital, faces the harsh realities of austerity and government budget cuts. With no local schools, children trek over an hour to attend classes, or pay N1000 for motorcycle transport, an impossible expense for many families.

The IMF influences countries’ budgets through its loans and policy advice. Often, these come with conditions requiring governments to reduce public spending, cut subsidies, or limit investment in essential services. In communities like Angwagwagwalada, this translates into school closures, poor infrastructure, limited healthcare access, and increased burdens on women, perpetuating cycles of poverty and inequality.

Unsafe roads and lack of healthcare have led to tragic losses, including pregnant women dying en route to clinics and children succumbing to cholera from contaminated water.

Despite these challenges, Zuwairiya continues to care for her children and advocate for change. ActionAid highlights stories like hers to show the human cost of IMF-backed austerity, pressing for investments in education, health, and infrastructure rather than debt repayment.

Why girls' education enables economic rights

As well as being a fundamental right, educating women and girls is a crucial step in supporting women’s economic rights.OECD Gender equality in education, employment and entrepreneurship

Educating girls has enormous and far-reaching benefits to their rights. It reduces rates of child marriage, promotes healthier and smaller families, improves jobs opportunities for women and empowers women to become leaders at community and government levels.https://www.malala.org/brookings-report/the-worlds-best-investment-girls-education

Around the world, 263 million children are still out of school, and twice as many girls as boys will never even start school.http://uis.unesco.org/en/news/263-million-children-and-youth-are-out-school These has been an increase in the numbers of girls in education over recent years, but this is not always translating into better employment opportunities for women.UN Progress of the World’s Women 2015-2016

This shows how entrenched gender discrimination is in wider society, including in labour markets, and the huge burden of unpaid care that falls on women of all ages.UN Progress of the World’s Women 2015-2016

Tadiwa's story: accessing education for girls

When Tadiwa turned 11 she had to stop going to school, because her mother could no longer afford the fees. However, her older brother continued his education.

“I miss my friends at school as I am no longer seeing them. I want to be a teacher if given an opportunity to go to school,” Tadiwa says.

Tadiwa is one of the 3,000 girls who will benefit from ActionAid Zimbabwe's drive to overcome barriers to girls' education.

The project was started after discussions with local communities showed that most families invest in educating boys over girls, because boys are expected to provide for the family while girls are expected to marry.

Building power through the Young Urban Women Programme

Lerato, a young mother and member of the Young Urban Women (YUW) Blantyre club, is a passionate advocate for women’s rights in her region.

The Young Urban Women (YUW) programme places a commitment to building the active agency of young women living in poverty. This includes addressing young women’s access to decent work and sexual and reproductive services through empowerment, campaigning and solidarity.

From challenging gendered stereotypes to demanding better funding for health services and access to education, Lerato is calling for investment in healthcare, and equality in the classroom. Her advocacy is shaping a future where women lead, speak, and thrive — economically, socially, and politically.

The most important thing I've learned is for a woman to be independent, not to rely on someone else.”

Young Urban Women (YUW) Lerato a member of YUW Blantyre.

Thoko Chikondi / ActionAid

Through ActionAid-supported training and her work with the Anyelir Berkarya women’s group, Lilis has rebuilt her confidence and grown into a community leader and entrepreneur..

Bima Artoko/ActionAid

From financial insecurity to economic independence

Lilis is a single mother raising three sons in Sumberjaya Village. Married young, she endured years of physical and emotional abuse, isolation and betrayal. Her life changed abruptly when her husband died in an accident, leaving her with no financial security and a seven-month-old baby. Overwhelmed and grieving, Lilis relied heavily on her family to survive.

Her turning point came when she joined a women’s empowerment programme supported by ActionAid and implemented with local partners Pattiro Banten and YAPPIKA-ActionAid. Through training, mentoring and participation in the Anyelir Berkarya women’s group, Lilis rebuilt her confidence and leadership skills.

Today, she facilitates women’s meetings, runs a small beachside shop selling locally made snacks, and is learning to market products online. “Nothing is impossible,” she says proudly.

I never imagined I could be like I am now, having my own business, being part of the women's community and being a role model for children. Nothing is impossible. Their future is my aspiration and I am ready to make the most of what I have for them."

Supporting women workers to rebuild after Rana Plaza

Mousumi is a survivor of the Rana Plaza collapse in Bangladesh, a tragedy that changed her life. A garment worker on the sixth floor, she was trapped under rubble for three terrifying hours after being forced to work despite visible cracks in the building.

She survived with serious injuries and ongoing physical and psychological trauma. Through ActionAid’s Workers Café, Mousumi received counselling, medical care, and training, and a sewing machine to start a small business.

This support has given Mousumi renewed confidence, dignity and hope for a safer future for women workers.

ActionAid Bangladesh's 'Workers Cafe' has helped us in various ways including providing training, giving counseling as well as assisting with financial support. Recently I got a sewing machine from there and I am hoping to start a small business using it. These types of support gave us the courage to stand up again and be aware of workplace safety and security."

Mousumi Begum is a survivor of the Rana Plaza collapse in Bangladesh, a tragedy that changed her life forever.

S. H. M. Mushfiqul Alam/ActionAid