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Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate the potential of social enterprise as a strategy for poverty reduction for women. Design/methodology/approach – A literature synthesis on the topic was conducted and patterns, linkages and gaps were examined among key themes to identify how social enterprise can potentially serve as a poverty reduction strategy for women. Findings – The paper presents the findings in terms of specific factors contributing to women’s poverty and hypothesizes mechanisms through which social enterprises can mitigate or address these factors in practice. The paper organizes these findings in an integrative framework that highlights the need to ensure a solid policy foundation is in place before a number of key support mechanisms are enabled, which then facilitate specific types of work that can then grow in a sustainable manner. Research limitations/implications – While the mechanisms and proposed framework are based on the extant literature, additional empirical investigation is required. Practical implications – Women are disproportionately burdened by poverty and the framework presented provides a very practical tool to guide the design of new or diagnosing existing social enterprises targeting poverty reduction for women. Social implications – Without a strategic approach, the risk is either perpetuating the status quo, or worse, placing those women engaged in social enterprises in a worse financial and social position. Originality/value – There is limited research on the poverty reducing role of social enterprise for women and the proposed mechanisms and integrative framework presented provide a means of synthesizing our current knowledge while providing the basis for future investigations.

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This study describes the level of government commitment in preventing domestic violence (DV) toward Indigenous women in countries of the Global North. Seventy-two government-endorsed DV prevention plans across 11 countries were analyzed. While more than half of the plans acknowledged Indigenous peoples, the main discourse reinforced a Western DV paradigm, reproduced negative stereotypes, and ignored systemic factors. Little consideration for intersectionality, the impact of colonization, or Indigenous worldviews was evident. Targeted prevention strategies were found but were disjointed and culturally inappropriate. Taken together, these findings suggest minimal government commitment and absence of cultural understanding regarding DV in Indigenous communities.

Given the wealth of research calling for meaningful engagement of men and boys in preventing violence against women, this study examined whether current government-endorsed violence prevention plans in countries of the Global North included men and boys as a target for primary prevention. One hundred and fourteen plans from 14 countries were analysed, and findings revealed that engaging men and boys as primary prevention advocates is still in its infancy and mostly focused on individual change. The article concludes that governments should invest in comprehensive prevention strategies and whole-of-population approaches that target social structures and norms that reinforce violence.