Women in Europe and Central Asia can now access jobs previously out of reach

This report identifies new barriers that prevent women from getting jobs in Europe and Central Asia. It means that programs designed to help women find work may need to change their approach.

For decades, development programs assumed that if women had access to training, they would get better jobs. This report shows that assumption is wrong. It turns out that things like informal networks, biased hiring practices, and lack of affordable childcare are bigger obstacles than previously understood. This means that simply offering more training won't fix the problem. New strategies are needed to address these deeper issues, or progress for women in the region will remain slow.