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This research explores what it takes for technology initiatives, specifically in the energy and agricultural sectors, to reach and economically benefit women in developing countries through market-based strategies that have the potential for achieving scale and financial sustainability. It builds on ICRW's landmark paper, Bridging the Gender Divide: How Technology Can Advance Women Economically, which made the case for how technologies can create pathways for strengthening women's economic opportunities. Through a field-level investigation and interviews with experts, the authors examine how women's use of technology and their involvement in the development and distribution of a technology can not only advance women economically, but also can benefit enterprise-based technology initiatives by expanding their markets and helping them generate greater financial returns.

This paper looks at ways technology has facilitated the economic advancement of poorer women in developing countries and explores what needs to happen to trigger wider economic advancement. The paper begins by introducing a conceptual framework that shows how integrating the needs of women to the technology development lifecycle can trigger a chain of events that leads to economic advancement and, eventually, to wider social and economic benefits. Next, it uses data from a literature review, in-depth case studies, and interviews with experts in the field to examine the lessons of technologies introduced in the past and discusses the common characteristics and effective strategies of successful initiatives. It closes with specific recommendations on better ways to develop, introduce, and disseminate technologies?both new and already existing?that could help low- and middle-income womenworldwide, particularly in developing countries, to advance economically. While the paper and the recommendations focus on the level of technology initiatives, the conclusion also includes an overview of complementary policy-level recommendations.