This study explores the intersection between climate governance and gender diversity and inclusion (gender D&I) in companies based in emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs). It expands the emerging research field of gender-responsive climate action by starting to fill a critical knowledge gap: how businesses in EMDEs are engaging with the gendered dynamics of climate change in their governance practices, policies, and actions. The study uncovers ways in which women leaders are or could be shaping businesses climate action. It unveils insights into good practices and guidance for board members, executive management, and other relevant stakeholders, including stock exchanges and market regulators operating in EMDE contexts. Importantly, given this emerging area of exploration, the study also identifies pathways for future research and development of practical tools to support action. The study is grounded in a literature review of existing evidence on the climate and gender nexus in business practices and the role of women business leaders in driving progress. Findings are based on a survey of over 600 business leaders, including more than 400 from EMDEs, information gathered from focus groups, and interviews and focus groups with more than 30 experts and business practitioners in both EMDE and global contexts.
Authors
- Citation
- “ International Finance Corporation (IFC) . 2024 . Gender-Responsive Climate Governance and the Role of Women Leaders: A Study of How Companies in Emerging Markets and Developing Economies are Embracing Gender-Inclusive Climate Strategies and Actions . © Washington, DC: World Bank . http://hdl.handle.net/10986/41775 License: CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 IGO . ”
- Collection(s)
- Women in Development and Gender Study
- Published in
- United States of America
- Rights
- CC BY-NC-ND 3.0 IGO
- Rights Holder
- World Bank
- Rights URI
- https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/igo
- URI
- https://hdl.handle.net/10986/41775
Files
Table of Contents
- Case Study 3.1.1. Collecting sex-disaggregated climate data for deeper insights 28
- Case Study 3.1.2. Promoting inclusive opportunities in the new green economy 31
- Case Study 3.1.3. Making the business case for women’s leadership in the green energy transition 32
- Case Study 3.2.1. Building women’s resilience across the value chain 37
- Case Study 3.2.2. Integrating a gender lens into climate strategies and action 40
- Case Study 3.2.3. Leveraging finance for action at the nexus of climate and gender 41
- Case Study 3.2.4. Enhancing gender-inclusive climate leadership 44
- Box. 2.1 What is climate governance? 16
- Box. 2.2 IFC climate governance guidance and tools for boards 17
- Acknowledgments 3
- Foreword 7
- Executive Summary 9
- 1. Introduction 12
- 1.1. Research design and methodology 12
- 2. The Case for Gender-Responsive Climate Governance 15
- 2.1. Women face differentiated climate impacts 18
- 2.2 Women’s perspectives and talent can contribute to climate adaptation, innovation, and the transition to clean energy 19
- 2.3. Women leading on change 19
- 3. Research Findings and Analysis 21
- 3.1. The state of climate governance in EMDE companies 21
- 3.2. State of gender-responsive climate action in EMDE companies 34
- 3.3. Role of women leaders in influencing change 40
- 4. Recommendations: Towards Gender-Responsive Climate Governance in EMDE Companies 51
- 4.1. A proposed framework to assess gender-responsive climate governance 51
- 4.2. Actions for key stakeholders on advancing gender-responsive climate governance 53
- 5. Conclusions 55
- Appendix. Glossary of Terms 57
- Endnotes 60
- Figure 1.1. Overview of research methodology 14
- Figure 2.1. Why climate governance? 16
- Figure 2.3.1. Women in business leadership boost ESG performance 20
- Figure 3.1.1. Presence of formal commitments and policies related to climate risk and opportunities in EMDE-based and developed economy-based large enterprises. 22
- Figure 3.1.2. How senior management teams are engaging with climate risks and opportunities and gender D&I in MSMEs and large enterprises based in EMDEs. 23
- Figure 3.1.3. Presence of formal commitments and policies related to climate risk and opporunities in EMDE-based MSMEs and large enterprises. 24
- Figure 3.1.4. Levels of engagement with ESG and climate-related risks and opportunities in companies headquartered in EMDEs. 25
- Figure 3.1.5. Sustainability / ESG topics that EMDE businesses are acting on today; many sustainability issues are closely related to climate change but may not be recognized as such. 26
- Figure 3.1.6. Breakdown of EMDE-based company engagement in climate/sustainability activities. 27
- Figure 3.1.7. Large EMDE enterprises are more likely than developed economy businesses to have formal climate adaptation commitments / strategies in place or in development 30
- Figure 3.1.8. Sustainability / ESG topics that EMDE businesses are acting on today; many sustainability issues are closely related to climate change but may not be recognized as such. 33
- Figure 3.2.1. Reported presence of formal commitments and policies related to gender diversity and inclusion, segmented according to company size. 35
- Figure 3.2.2. Reported presence of gender-specific targets and activities in the environmental sustainability / ESG strategies of companies. 35
- Figure 3.2.3. Barriers to integrated climate-gender action 39
- Figure 3.3.1. Large enterprises’ degree of engagement with climate change risks and opportunities, based on percentage of female board members. 42
- Figure 3.3.2. Comparison of large enterprise commitments to net zero emissions targets, based on percentage of female board members. 42
- Figure 3.3.3. Perceptions of the influence of women on company engagement with climate-change-related risks and opportunities, segmented by respondents’ gender. 46
- Figure 3.3.4. Perceptions of company obligations to address negative environmental and social impacts, segmented by respondents’ gender. 47
- Figure 4.1. Progression toward gender-responsive climate governance. 52
