Reducing Barriers to Women’s Economic Empowerment in Moldova

The Women and Girls Empowered (WAGE) Reducing Barriers to Women’s Economic Empowerment in Moldova initiative was implemented by the Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) and the American Bar Association Rule of Law Initiative (ABA ROLI) from 2020-2023.

The WAGE program's Moldova initiative was a multi-disciplinary program aimed at building and supporting an alliance of women’s organizations to improve the enabling environment for Moldovan women engaged in economic activity. The initiative worked to strengthen the organizational capacities of women’s business associations (WBAs) and women’s civil society organizations (WCSOs) to represent and provide business development support and other services to Moldovan women and to foster collective action among WBAs and WCSOs to address legal and societal barriers to women’s participation in the economy. 

Women’s organizations in Moldova have the potential to support and represent the interests of Moldovan women, but many organizations lack resources or capacity. WAGE believed if women’s organizations increased organizational capacity to serve and advocate for the interests of Moldovan women and are better equipped to address legal, regulatory, and societal barriers to women’s economic empowerment–including gender-based violence–through collective action, then these organizations will have greater ability to advance women's participation in the economy, ultimately resulting in Moldovan women leading more resilient, independent, and economically sustainable lives

The program's central goals were:

• To strengthen the organizational capacities of women business associations (WBAs) and women’s empowerment organizations (WCSOs) to represent and provide services to Moldovan women.
• To foster collective action among WBAs and WCSOs to address legal framework implementation gaps and societal barriers to women's economic empowerment.

ABA ROLI hosted two interorganizational dialogue sessions with local partner WBAs and WCSOs under the WAGE Moldova initiative. In an open forum designed to encourage candid conversations and reflection, we discussed the interconnected issues of GBV and WEE. The first session featured international labor economist, Dr. Tamara Gurevich from the US International Trade Commission, who shared research about the impacts of trade on women’s economic participation. The second session featured ABA Civil Rights and Social Justice Chair-Elect Robin Runge, who led a discussion on workplace sexual harassment and the role WBAs can play in encouraging their members to address GBV as a barrier to WEE. The sessions were designed to build upon two previous ones and were interactive with each discussion. This format encouraged WBAs to recognize the concrete connections between GBV and WEE and take meaningful action to support their members in addressing these interconnected issues.

To share findings from WAGE’s Moldova initiative’s period of performance, ABA ROLI published a blog in August 2023, “Combatting Gender Based Violence by Promoting Women’s Economic Empowerment in the Republic of Moldova”, discussing the intersection of GBV and WEE in Moldova. The blog emphasizes the unexplored link between GBV and WEE, citing how survivors face barriers to employment and entrepreneurship due to abusive partners. The WAGE Moldova initiative worked to address the private sectors’ reluctance to acknowledge the gender norms that perpetuate GBV. We utilized the previously mentioned dialogues to generate discussions about the significant economic impact of GBV, which helped to increase awareness. These sessions served as a catalyst for our local partners’ advocacy efforts, with GBV in the workplace becoming a primary focus.

The program’s key accomplishment is the formation of an Alliance for Women’s Economic Empowerment (the Alliance). The Alliance, consisting of WCSOs and business associations, identified five priority areas within the Women’s Legislative Agenda. The first two areas focus on raising awareness of gender-based discrimination and harassment in workplaces; and the other three focus on increasing access to childcare services, advocating for expanded social services, and supporting microenterprises during crises. Through advocacy campaigns, training sessions, and educational materials, WAGE raised awareness and promoted change.