Costa Rica

Launched in 2020, Costa Rica’s Gender Parity Accelerator seeks to close gender gaps in economic participation, remuneration and leadership, by expanding care provision, formalizing and linking female entrepreneurs to export markets, and expanding access to STEM education and digital skills training. It is led by the Office of the Vice Presidency and the National Women’s Institute, supported by the World Economic Forum, Inter-American Development Bank and the French Development Agency, and is currently working with 408 companies drawn from the two largest national business and export associations.

As part of the accelerator’s action plan, Costa Rica introduced a national care policy that expands the national system of care to cover preschool children, the elderly and persons with disabilities, enabling caregivers to balance career and caregiving responsibilities. It has helped 7,000 self-employed women formalize their activities through registration with the national employment agency and supported 400 female entrepreneurs to become export-certified and gain access to $2.47 million in finance through Formujeres. In addition, the Accelerator has trained 1,700 women in digital literacy skills and expanded STEM education in more than 150 educational centres.