Report
When ID Works for Women
Experiences and Challenges of Women in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka
Authors Caribou
With the support of
Around the world, women seek work and income for financial independence but also to assert
their own identity where they are able, and legal identification plays an important role in this process. This report explores the connection between financial independence and identity, and between ID and empowerment, for women.
Focusing on three sectors in which low-income women commonly work—domestic work, garment factory work, and online work—highlights the ways in which ID is critical for women in finding work and therefore could be used as a driver to incentivize women to obtain and have agency over their own IDs. ID is also necessary in order to be paid directly. While ID offers some protections, it stops short of others. For example, it does not necessarily prevent underage employment nor does it necessarily lead to financial inclusion. A rush to digital (including digital ID and digital finance) can also harm women. This is why key stakeholders have a role to play to protect and raise awareness among women, including employers, recruitment agents, unions and workers rights organizations, but also friends and family.
