Among poverty alleviation strategies she highlighted the importance of direct social assistance, employment programs, and utilizing appropriate institutions to provide these services. Universal definitions should be utilized to develop a more culturally relevant definition of female headship. A more in-depth study should be undertaken of the nature and life of prevalent systems of social support. A closer link needs to be forged between the women's research and NGO community and the Palestinian Authority in the development of policies and programs. Vulnerable groups should be targeted in all types of assistance.
More coordination is needed between the various bodies providing formal support.
More and better data is needed on the economic vulnerability of households that are maintained by women. A responsive and universal social support system needs to be developed, rather than an emergency-based delivery approach, as is currently the case. The second day of the seminar focused on women in the informal sector and credit programs. Rema Hammami of the Women's Studies Program at Birzeit University began the deliberations by providing the economic framework for women's work in the West Bank and Gaza. Women's formal labor force participation is as low as ten percent due to the political and economic circumstances.