Women’s income growth depends on coordinated support ecosystems, says BFA Global

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 the organisation’s Women’s Economic Empowerment Opportunity Leads Umbrella Programme in Kenya, highlight five interconnected domains that determine 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 widely held 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, underscoring the potential of coordinated interventions.

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

It also noted that skills training delivers stronger outcomes when it builds both technical capability and confidence, particularly when women can apply those skills in real market environments.

Networks emerged as a critical enabler, with peer groups providing access to information, customers, and informal financial support. These networks often serve as the backbone of women’s economic activity in low-income settings, the report said.

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

Market linkages were also identified as essential, though the report stressed that access to markets alone does not guarantee income growth unless other enabling 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 underscore the need for policymakers, development partners, and financial service providers to adopt more integrated approaches that align multiple dimensions of support, rather than focusing on single-sector solutions.