International Center For Research On Women
At ICRW, research plays a critical role in shaping policies and programs that promote gender equality and improve the lives of women and girls around the world. The team comprises experienced researchers and analysts who are committed to conducting high-quality research that contributes to meaningful change for women and girls.
Working closely with partners from academia, civil society, and the private sector ensures that the research is both rigorous and responsive to the needs of the communities they serve. They employ a variety of research methods, including qualitative and quantitative research, impact evaluation, and mixed-methods approaches, to generate insights that are relevant, actionable, and have impact.
The Creative sector is Africa’s next goldmine and the most dynamic economic growth area.
Yet, the sector faces several socioeconomic challenges, including gender inequities and barriers that limit prospects for women’s participation and advancement. In addition, there is a dearth of studies that provide a systematic understanding of how gender dynamics affect the participation of young women in the creative economy.
Guided by the overarching research question: “How are gender norms and power dynamics intersecting with other socioeconomic and contextual processes to shape the pathways, creative journeys, and aspirations of young women in the industry, and what are the implications for young female creatives’ ability to benefit from, realize their full potential, and participate in the industry and society at large?”, Behind the Scenes will advance the Foundation’s interest in research that applies a gender lens to untangle and address the multiple issues impacting young Africans’ access to dignified and fulfilling work, and their desire – and right – to lead and catalyze a better, safer, and more equitable employment ecosystem in the region.
The 3-year study takes a multi-method, multidisciplinary, and participatory research and policy engagement approach to generate evidence to inform policy, programming and workplace actions, strengthen the research competencies and skills of over 100 young people (including 20 African youth researchers), and bolster the voice, participation and power of over 200 young women creatives in using evidence to drive change. Research is ongoing in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Rwanda and Senegal.
Learn more about the work of our partner, International Center for Research on Women by reading this blog piece, featured in Art Africa Magazine
