Women’s income growth depends on support systems — Report

Women micro-entrepreneurs achieve sustained income growth only when multiple support systems work together, rather than through isolated interventions, according to new findings released by BFA Global.

The findings, drawn from BFA Global’s Women’s Economic Empowerment Opportunity Leads Umbrella Program in Kenya, highlight five interconnected domains that shape whether low-income women can translate economic opportunities into lasting income gains.

The two-year programme, conducted in collaboration with 11 enterprises, found that income growth is driven by the combined effect of support structures, skills and confidence, networks, access to productive capital, and market linkages.

Researchers said the results challenge the assumption that income growth follows a linear path, instead showing that progress depends on reinforcing conditions working in tandem.

“We started with a simple question: what does it really take to increase incomes for low-income women in practice, not just in theory?” co-authors Phoebe Kiboi and Maha Khan said. “What we found is that no single intervention works in isolation. Income growth happens when multiple factors align.”

Under the programme, 1,800 women micro-entrepreneurs recorded an average income increase of 49 per cent, equivalent to about $85 per month.

The report found that support structures such as childcare, mobility, time availability and social norms determine whether women can participate in economic activity at all. Without these foundations, other interventions were found to be less effective.

It also noted that skills training yields stronger results when it builds both technical capability and confidence and when women have opportunities to apply those skills in real markets.

Networks were identified as a key enabler, with peer groups providing access to information, customers and informal financial support. The report said these often function as a backbone for women’s economic activity in low-income settings.

Access to capital and assets was found to be effective only when appropriately timed and designed to match women’s circumstances. Misaligned financial products, the study noted, can slow rather than accelerate progress.

Market linkages were also highlighted as critical, but the report stressed that access to markets alone does not guarantee income growth unless other supporting conditions are in place.

“When one domain is missing, progress stalls,” the report stated. “Skills without market access do not translate into income. Capital without capability creates risk, and market access without support structures excludes those who need it most.”

BFA Global said the findings point to the need for more integrated approaches that align multiple dimensions of support rather than focusing on single-sector interventions.

The firm describes itself as an impact innovation organisation working across research, advisory, venture building and investment to support financial inclusion and economic resilience for underserved communities.