The development of human capital is a priority for most nation states, accelerated by the COVID-19 global pandemic, and since 2018 has been the subject of attention by the World Bank through both their Human Capital Project and their development of a Human Capital Index. This report shows how the perspective of women, informal sector workers, representing some of the most marginalized workers in society, informs and improves our understanding of human capital and its development and utilization by highlighting themes that are often overlooked in the literature or are beyond the scope of more narrow conceptualizations of human capital. In particular, these findings show that human capital is inseparable from other forms of capital (community assets) and that the benefits accrued to women through being organized have been key to unlocking their human capital potential.
