Why Gender Equity?
Calvert Impact Capital considers gender across all of our investments. Why? Gender equity is not just good for women—it's good for investment, good for business, and good for society. In short—it’s good for us all. As a recognized leader in the gender lens investing field, Calvert Impact Capital works to move gender lens investing from a relatively niche practice to a standard part of all investing. When women are valued, they have more power and influence over the broader economy and when gender is paid attention to, better investments are made.
Gender Metrics Across Our Portfolio
(Data pulled from our borrowers' 2019 fiscal year impact reporting)
In 2019, 91% of our borrowers from whom we collected impact data also reported on gender disaggregated metrics across three levels: their management and staff, the gender metrics they collect from their own borrowers, and the end clients who use the products and services financed.
Women clients supported by our borrowers
Women-owned businesses financed in 2019
The percentage of women end clients of our borrowers and their investees
Gender Equity in Renewable Energy
Investing with a gender lens has the potential for outsized impact, particularly in the renewable energy sector internationally. Energy poverty disproportionately affects women and girls; over 789 million people around the world lack access to electricity, concentrated heavily in Sub-Saharan Africa. Access to clean energy can improve women’s health by reducing indoor air pollution, and can enable more opportunities for education and entrepreneurship. By strengthening the gender lens approach in this relatively young sector, we can ensure that as it grows, its dedication to gender inclusion grows with it.
Women with improved access to clean energy in 2019
Increase in clean energy products sold by by businesses our borrowers finance
kWh clean energy generated for household use
Our Gender Lens Strategy
Calvert Impact Capital looks at gender in several ways. We use it as a lens to see risk and opportunity more clearly and as a lever to pull for greater impact. Gender is nuanced and contextual; there is no one way to incorporate gender into a strategy and our borrowers’ diverse approaches demonstrate this. We’re proud to work with our borrowers to introduce, improve, and enhance their gender strategies. Read below for three examples of how gender is present in a range of our borrowers and their strategies:
SunFunder: the importance of gendered data and a diverse team
SunFunder is a solar finance business that has directly impacted the lives of girls and women by providing energy access to households across Sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. SunFunder began collecting gender disaggregated data which helped them better understand how to serve their solar company client base. They developed a gender policy and action plan, including assessing how their clients approach hiring as well as the gender diversity of their own team, directors, and credit committee. They are now working with gender experts to embed gender into their investment process through credit appraisals and monitoring as well as internal operations.
SANAD: partnering to offer products that empower women entrepreneurs
The SANAD Fund for MSME is dedicated to supporting entrepreneurs in the Middle East and North Africa. SANAD has been a partner of the Microfund for Women (MFW) since 2015, working together to expand financial inclusion to Jordan’s underbanked women entrepreneurs. One such entrepreneur is Bara’a al-Thawra, the founder of Tabeetna Organic Beauty Products, who was turned away by banks because “unfortunately, gender still plays a role here.” It was through MFW that she was able to access the financing she needed to invest in a stock of high-quality ingredients and hire additional staff.
Grameen America: helping women build small businesses for big success
Founded by Nobel Peace Prize recipient Muhammad Yunus, Grameen America is a microfinance nonprofit that helps women build small businesses to create better lives for their families. They offer microloans, training, and support to transform communities and fight poverty in the United States, and explicitly tailor their loan products and other offerings to suit the needs of their women clients, like Mitzie, shown left, who owns a salon in New York. 100% of their clients are women, as well as 85% of staff and 63% of senior leadership.
Gender Lens Toolkit
Calvert Impact Capital is dedicated to sharing our lessons learned and resources with the field to encourage the adoption of gender lens investing. You can find these and more at https://www.calvertimpactcapital.org/insights/gender
