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Periodical article | Leiden University catalogue | WorldCat |
Title: | Women's employment in Africa |
Author: | Kenig-Witkowska, Maria Magdalena |
Year: | 1994 |
Periodical: | Africana Bulletin |
Issue: | 42 |
Pages: | 39-73 |
Language: | English |
Geographic term: | Africa |
Subjects: | women's employment women's work |
Abstract: | Women's employment in Africa remains inadequately quantified and available indicators fail to measure a whole range of jobs performed by women in both formal and informal employment. There are big differences between countries as regards the distribution of economically active women by sector and their share in the total labour force. However, in almost all of Africa, the agricultural sector is predominant. The industrial sector, by contrast, offered relatively few opportunities for women in the 1950-1970 period. Factors affecting women's participation in employment include the availability of educational opportunities, access to vocational and technical education, and access to traditional production resources. Self-employment in the informal sector continues to play a key role for women's employment and it is estimated that women constitute from 60 to 80 percent of all operators in the informal sector. While some progress has been made over the past two decades, there is a continuing underutilization of the female labour force and an underestimation of women's creative contribution to economic development. Major constraints exist at the traditional and community level, at the institutional level, and at the policy level. Note, ref. |