What is measured,
is valued.

The W+ Standard™ was established by WOCAN in 2014 and is the first women-specific framework that measures the outcomes of women’s empowerment across six critical domains: time savings, health, knowledge & education, food security, income & assets, and leadership.

WOCAN developed the rigorous W+ methodologies in collaboration with rural women in Nepal and Kenya. Outcomes are quantified at the project and community levels, then independently audited and validated by the Social Audit Network — only then are W+ units assigned.

Each W+ unit represents a 10% positive change in a woman’s life in the domain measured. Because W+ units represent existing, verified results, buyers can be certain their support is a catalyst for meaningful impact.

The majority of proceeds from the sale of W+ units goes to the project developer, helping them reach more women with their important work. Empower Co. receives a 10% commission from these proceeds, and through our unique profit-sharing requirement, at least 25% of proceeds goes directly to the women’s groups engaged in the projects. They have complete control over the distribution of this new stream of revenue, often choosing to reinvest it into climate-mitigation initiatives.

  • Established by WOCAN in 2014, the W+ Standard has certified projects in Morocco, South Africa, Vietnam, Nepal, Indonesia, Cambodia, and Honduras. It has been endorsed by the UNFCCC and received its Women for Results award in 2016. The W+ Standard has been endorsed by IHS Markit, Verra, Swedish Energy Agency, the World Bank Climate Funds Management Unit, the Global Impact Investing Network, the Asian Venture Capital Network, the Independent Evaluation Unit of the Green Climate Fund, and UNREDD.

THE DOMAINS

Each W+ domain has its own rigorous methodology for measurement. They were developed in partnership with women in rural Kenya and Nepal, not just on their behalf.

  • Time is essential for women’s empowerment. In many parts of the world, women’s valuable time is consumed with grueling inefficiencies: long journeys to fetch water, gathering and processing firewood, long cooking processes.

    New processes and technologies (biogas cookstoves, water pumps, improved storage) can save women hours that they can spend on self-improvement, learning new trades, earning a cash income, caring for their families, or enhancing the lives of their communities. Time is the domain that enables success in all other domains.

    The W+ Time domain measures how a project increases women’s discretionary time, measuring the shift toward higher-value activities.

  • In many regions, women are not compensated for their contributions, and have very limited access to financial or tangible assets. Owning property, controlling money, and making independent choices about resource use are critical elements of women’s empowerment.

    The W+ Income & Assets domain measures how a project increases the income and assets that women have access to, or control. Assets might take many forms, including money, land, livestock, and equipment.

  • Educating women has wide-ranging, well-documented benefits. As women’s education increases, rates of birth and infant, child, and maternal mortality fall. Women’s education increases their earning potential over the course of their lives, generating higher household and national income, and reducing generational poverty. Educated women are more engaged in political life and are better able to exercise their legal rights.

    Projects can increase women’s access to education in the form of literacy, numeracy, business management, and computer literacy, or offer skills training in areas such as agriculture, animal husbandry, renewable energy, sanitation and health.

    The W+ Education & Knowledge domain measures how projects increase women’s knowledge and skills, and how these improvements are transmitted to others.

  • In developing communities, women lack decision-making power at all levels—at home, work, and in public life. It is well established that women who occupy leadership roles make decisions that benefit all, improving the lives of whole communities, increasing the revenues of businesses, and protecting the environment. Empowering women to be leaders not only advances gender equality, it also improves all other development outcomes.

    The W+ Leadership domain measures how projects increase decision-making roles for women, either within the project itself or within their households and communities.

  • Women are often responsible for feeding their families, but are the first to be deprived in times of scarcity. They are responsible for the vast a majority of food production and yet receive only a fraction of agricultural aid resources.

    In developing economies, especially in indigenous communities, women are the experts in local plant knowledge, crop and soil management, and disaster preparation. Empowering women in this role is critical for long-term food security, improving nutrition, and sustainable resource stewardship.

    Projects can increase food security through improving crop diversity, soil fertility, and yields, or enhancing agricultural equipment, irrigation systems, and food storage.

    The W+ Food Security domain measures how projects increase the quantity and quality of food within households.

  • Women often labor unpaid, and yet it is estimated that they are responsible for 66% of the world’s work (UNICEF), including caregiving for children and seniors, food production, and resource management.

    When women are in poor health due to disease, inadequate nutrition, or access to healthcare, their reduced work capacity has wide-ranging impacts. Improving women’s health has a positive impact on their families, communities, and national economies.

    Improvements in health can mean better access to health services; increasing clinic staffing; lowering disease and maternal, child, and infant mortality rates; and increasing vaccination.

    The W+ Health method measures how projects improve the overall health of women.