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Gender at Work in Africa: Legal Constraints and Opportunities for Reform

Gender at Work in Africa: Legal Constraints and Opportunities for Reform JENI KLUGMAN and SARAH TWIGG I. INTRODUCTION Expanding women's economic opportunities is critical for meeting the obligations laid out in major human rights conventions and for enhancing countries' development prospects and eliminating poverty. Realising the potential of all people contributes to productivity and a more resilient society. This matters at the national, community, family and individual levels. As a recent qualitative study of women and men in 20 countries across the world concludes, `Women's ability to work for pay . . . may be one of the most visible and game-changing events in the life of modern households and all communities.' 1 This article reviews where we stand in terms of women's access to economic opportunities, ranging from working for an employer for a wage to entrepreneurial activities and agriculture, with a specific focus on Africa. We show that there are many systematic constraints, both in law and related to social norms and deprivations. This underlines the relevance of a rights-based approach. We begin by providing an overview of how women currently fare in terms of economic empowerment at the global level and across Africa before identifying some of the major constraints. Finally, we suggest areas where attention http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png African Journal of International and Comparative Law Edinburgh University Press

Gender at Work in Africa: Legal Constraints and Opportunities for Reform

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Publisher
Edinburgh University Press
Copyright
© Edinburgh University Press 2016
Subject
Articles; African Studies
ISSN
0954-8890
eISSN
1755-1609
DOI
10.3366/ajicl.2016.0171
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

JENI KLUGMAN and SARAH TWIGG I. INTRODUCTION Expanding women's economic opportunities is critical for meeting the obligations laid out in major human rights conventions and for enhancing countries' development prospects and eliminating poverty. Realising the potential of all people contributes to productivity and a more resilient society. This matters at the national, community, family and individual levels. As a recent qualitative study of women and men in 20 countries across the world concludes, `Women's ability to work for pay . . . may be one of the most visible and game-changing events in the life of modern households and all communities.' 1 This article reviews where we stand in terms of women's access to economic opportunities, ranging from working for an employer for a wage to entrepreneurial activities and agriculture, with a specific focus on Africa. We show that there are many systematic constraints, both in law and related to social norms and deprivations. This underlines the relevance of a rights-based approach. We begin by providing an overview of how women currently fare in terms of economic empowerment at the global level and across Africa before identifying some of the major constraints. Finally, we suggest areas where attention

Journal

African Journal of International and Comparative Law – Edinburgh University Press

Published: Nov 1, 2016

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