MDG-3: Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women

MDG-3: Promote Gender Equality and
Empower Women
MDG indicator 3.2: Share of women in wage employment in the nonagricultural
sector
Constraint:
Lack of Employment Services for Women
Lack of training, facilities and credit for laid of women workers to start their own enterprises
China’s Re-employment for Laid-off Women Workers project seeks solutions to emerging urban
poverty in China through job creation and re-employment for Laid-off Women Workers (LOWWs) by
means of employment information, consultancy networking, strengthening training capacity, and new
venture creation services.
Components:
• Establish a Women Business Service Centre to provide basic enterprise facilities (computers,
printers, faxes and meeting rooms) and other support services to facilitate the re-employment of
LOWWs
• Provide training for LOWWs on small business management skills
• Link LOWWs to a microfinance service provider and enhance capacity of the Tianjin Women’s
Federation (TJWF) in management of microfinance services
• Create a business incubator for women in Tianjin to accommodate projective micro-enterprises
with growth and employment potential
• Recommend the Tianjin model to central government for consideration of replication
Results:
• Since its establishment in October 2000, the Tianjin Women Business Incubator Centre (TWBI)
has incubated 50 women-owned businesses that employ some 2,744 persons (265 directly
employed in the incubator), of whom 80 percent are women.
• The Tianjin Women Business Incubator Centre (TWBI) has fulfilled its goals of accelerating the
growth of incubated enterprises and improving re-employment and venture creation for women.
Reflecting its origins in a UNDP/AusAid project, TWBI’s incubation model is an example of how
an international best practice has been successfully adapted to Chinese conditions.
• The project’s micro-credit component, formerly implemented by the Chinese implementing
agency, Tianjin Women’s Federation (TJWF), has become fully self-sustaining and now operates
as an independent agency.
• The valuable experiences learned for urban microfinance development will contribute to a
UNDP-supported national micro-finance study carried out by the People’s Bank of China and will
influence the formulation of national regulations.
• Capacity has been developed through the training of project personnel and the LOWWs in microfinance
institutions and the incubator.
• Through the project, the Tianjin Women Federation (TJWF) has established a number of
partnerships with municipal line bureaus and departments for support, such as the Labour and
Social Protection Bureau for employment network, the Tax Bureau for the BIC’s tax exemption,
the Committee of Science and Technology, and the Patent Bureau for policy and patent
registration of the incubated enterprises. In particular, an important partnership between TWF
and Tianjin City Commercial Bank operates the microloans to LOWWs.
Key Elements of Success:
• Strong national ownership is one of the key elements of success, and the project drew much
government attention. A steering committee was set up, headed by a vice mayor with
participation of the municipal social and security bureau, municipal administration office and
Tianjin Commercial Bank.
• TJWF has a wide community network. The communities enthusiastically participated in the
microfinance training and advocacy. The residents’ committee cooperated with the labour unions
of 13 enterprises to extend microcredit coverage.

• The microfinance institution’s capacity has been enhanced in the project and converted into an
independent MFI. Its training materials and operation manual have been disseminated in other
capacity development projects.
• The business incubator delivered sound economic and social benefits. Some small businesses in
the incubator have grown and provid more employment opportunities for LOWWs. The incubator
approach is a sustainable mechanism for promoting growth and employment.
• The Tianjin Microfinance and Business Incubation model has been disseminated through highlevel
national conferences and a series of media advocacy activities. The effect of the Tianjin
intervention is affirmed by the State Council and People’s Congress in re-employment and
venture creation for LOWWs and the establishment of a social security system focused on the
specific needs of women.
Lessons Learned:
• A mix of business skills training, some supportive services and microcredit provides the
ingredients needed to release the entrepreneurial drive of the poor.
• The commitment and professionalism of the incubator staff are essential, and outside experts can
train them in specific issues.
• Partnering with an existing organization and the local government reduces the cost of the
intervention and facilitates wider dissemination and replication.
• The lessons learned from the project are subsequently disseminated through the nationwide
network of the All-China Women’s Federation, the principal national actor in the field of gender
and women’s issues.
Background Information:
Economic restructuring and the closure of unprofitable state-owned enterprises led to lay-offs across
urban China. Women workers in particular faced tough re-employment challenges. This project aimed
to re-employ them and create jobs through information and consultancy networking and strengthening
their capacity to start small businesses. An incubator was established to provide basic enterprise
facilities such as computers, printers, faxes and meeting rooms to laid-off women workers (LOWWs),
which were also connected to training, information and other support services to give the LOWWs a
platform and the tools they needed to start and develop small businesses.
In 2002, the Tianjin Women Business Service Centre organised 57 training sessions with 3,200 trainees.
The training covered both small business management skills for managers such as business basics,
entrepreneurial psychology, business management, marketing, public relations, e-commerce, finance,
project commercialization, patents, relevant government policy and law, gender awareness, social
etiquette, and job skills for LOWWs. The initiative has demonstrated the relevance and effectiveness of
Chinese Business Incubators as a new model of promoting empowerment and employment. The project
ended in 2002.
Implementation Partners:
China International Centre for Economic and Technical Exchanges (CICETE); All China Women’s
Federation (ACWF); Tianjin Women Federation (TJWF)
Contacts:
Yu Hua, Programme Manager
UNDP China
Tel: +86-10-85320751
E-mail: hua.yu@undp.org