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Empowering Women Health Providers through Social Franchising: Stories from Kenya and Uganda

While social franchising interventions were designed to achieve positive health outcomes and were not intended to improve gender equality, franchisors in some countries target primarily female cadres such as midwives. As a result, social franchising may unintentionally help women providers overcome gender-related barriers. SHOPS Plus visited social franchisees in Kenya and Uganda to better understand how social franchising has affected the lives of women franchise owners. This brief analyzes the findings from interviews with women providers using the Social Franchising Empowerment Framework. It finds that social franchising empowers women providers, specifically within their ability to make and implement decisions and perform tasks as well as in their self-confidence. Based on the findings, the brief concludes with recommendations on how social franchises and the private sector overall could take a more intentional approach to improving women’s empowerment outcomes.