We often equate empowerment with having resources like land or credit, but true empowerment lies in "agency"—the capacity to define one's own goals. Without the ability to make strategic choices, having a job or a business does not automatically lead to equality or professional satisfaction.

This session examines how traditional statistics miss the 24-hour reality of a woman's day, where reproductive and care work are often hidden as "secondary activities". From the seaweed value chains in the Philippines to the entrepreneur households of Bangladesh, the evidence suggests that cultural respect and income control are the primary levers for change. By utilizing digital platform data and refined survey modules, we can finally measure what was previously invisible, ensuring that the recovery from the pandemic is both nature-positive and equitab ...