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How is the ICR Facility supporting gender equality at the workplace, and why is it still needed?




The ICR Facility is supporting its partners to increase women’s participation in the labour force. Our new ICReport How to make the Business Environment work for Women’s Economic Empowerment builds on an earlier publication Business Environment Reforms to Promote Equal Opportunities for Women in the Labour Market and demonstrates how the recommendations made can be implemented in practice with the ICR Facility. Where to start and how to make a change through short term technical assistance?

 

The ICR Facility is raising awareness of gender-blind institutional frameworks and social factors that reinforce gender inequality and provide support to our partners tackle these barriers.  Indeed, women in African, Caribbean and Pacific countries are still more likely than men to be unemployed, underemployed, have an informal job, work for no income, and be excluded from fast growing industries and sectors.

Data from the International Labour Organization (ILO) confirms the gaps in labour market participation: in the Caribbean, only 49.5% of women participate in the labour force, 19.2% lower than men. Similar gaps exist in Sub-Saharan Africa (11.2%) and the Pacific (8.9%).

 

How can business environment reforms increase women’s labour market participation?

It is key to tackle institutional frameworks which reinforce gender inequality in the workplace. For example:

  • Restrictive Laws: As of 2021, laws in 10 Sub-Saharan African countries still restrict women’s ability to get jobs compared to men. These restrictions can range from requiring a husband’s permission for employment to limitations on the types of jobs women can hold.
  • Discriminatory Fiscal Systems: Tax treatment of married couples often discourages wives from entering the formal labour market. Conversely, tax exemptions or incentives specifically targeting women can encourage their participation and career advancement.
  • Increase Legal Protections: In many ACP countries, laws prohibiting gender-based discrimination in recruitment, the workplace, and sexual harassment are absent. This creates a hostile work environment and discourages women from pursuing certain careers.

The ICReport Business Environment Reforms to Promote Equal Opportunities for Women in the Labour Market dives deeper in these issues.

Examples from the ICR Facility:

In Malawi we have supported the implementation of a legal reform that addresses gender-based discrimination in the workplace by employers. Despite the Gender Equality Act, which ensures women and men have equal rights under the law, and everyone is treated with dignity, incidences of gender based violence (GBV) in the workplace were high. Therefore, the Employment Consultative Association of Malawi (ECAM) requested assistance to conduct a National Gender Audit indicating the nature and prevalence of gender-related issues in the workplace, approaches at workplace and policy level for preventing and managing these.

 

Mr George Khaki, the Executive Director for ECAM, said “The Gender Audit is very important to ECAM because in the first instance it enables us to have evidence-based responses to Gender issues that exist in Malawi. Secondly the training will help us assist our members and organisations in coming up with policies and practices that promote equality in the workplace. This will also help us to lobby for the ratification of ILO Convention No.190 on Violence and Harassment whilst at the same time ensuring that our local laws are updated to reflect the current thinking in Gender equality. Overall ECAM believes addressing these issues will not only improve the business environment and boost productivity but that we will also contribute to the socio-economic growth of Malawi where Gender is acknowledged to be one the challenges we must tackle as envisioned in the Malawi 2063 Vision”.

 

You can read more about the learnings from this intervention here and access the training material here, so you can deliver this training to other employment professionals.

 

Similarly, in Zimbabwe, we are partnering with the Employers’ Confederation of Zimbabwe (EMCOZ), to create a safer and more inclusive work environment by tackling GBV in the work place. Through this collaboration, EMCOZ will be equipped with comprehensive resources and empirical data to effectively assist its members in preventing workplace GBV, supporting victims and survivors, and advocating for necessary policy reforms, legislative actions, and regulatory enhancements. This joint effort will demonstrate a commitment to combat GBV and foster a work environment that respects and promotes gender equality.

Social factors contribute to the gender gap

Traditional gender roles often discourage women from pursuing careers outside the home, limiting their aspirations and career choices. Indeed, women typically shoulder a greater burden of unpaid care work, such as childcare and housework, hindering their ability to participate fully in the formal labour market, while few countries have adequate maternity leave policies and childcare options.  The ICReport Business Environment Reforms and the Care Economy: The Case of Childcare and Parental Leave Policies provides lessons learnt from initiatives in the ACP regions. It was also presented at the ICR4WEE conference in Kigali in June 2024, where the Vice Minister Then Martes, Ministry for Women`s Affairs, Dominican Republic set out the country`s approach to strengthen the Care Economy through its ‘Communities of Care’ pilot programme. See the recording of the session here.

Additional barriers to well-paid jobs in male-dominated industries

When women do work, they are often paid less, because they face additional barriers to certain well-paid jobs in male-dominated sectors, like mining, energy, technology and construction. These are fast-growing industries. The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated this trend, with sectors like technology experiencing significant growth while female-dominated (and lower paid) sectors like tourism and services declined. In certain countries, access to these sectors is hindered by restrictions in the law. For example, in 31 ACP countries women can’t get an industrial job in the same way as men.

 

How has the ICR Facility tackled these issues?

In Togo, we analysed bottlenecks in the sesame value chain. We saw women are often relegated to less visible and less well-paid roles such as drying, packaging, and processing. The intervention raised this issue vis-à-vis entrepreneurs in the value chain as well as policymakers. It not only provided recommendations to empower women in the value chain, but also showcased the overall economic benefit of equal access to the activities by both men and women.  Read about Mrs Akossia Kalibou’s sesame oil’s business here.

Similarly, women’s role in the agroforestry value chain remains limited in Rwanda. The Rwanda Forestry Authority requested to the ICR Facility to help identify and develop promising value chains for smallholders. The study looked at the role women play and the opportunities that are open to them. You can read some of the anecdotical takeaways from the interviews, meetings and focus groups regarding the role of women and men here. Based on this gender gap analysis, we developed a plan to promote the role of women in these value chains and ensure they have the same opportunities as men.  

 

In Tonga, we have supported the development of the Kava National Strategic Plan [1], with a focus on exports and sustainability, employment creation and income generation for women and youth in Tonga. The plan calls for an inter-ministerial taskforce to better align with international treaty obligations to gender equality. It recommends including Tongan women and youth in marketing missions abroad and proposes the establishment of a national kava council with guaranteed representation of women. It also suggests a nationwide educational campaign which demonstrates the importance of increased participation of women, youth and people with disabilities in the kava industry. Read here about Tricia Emberson’s family-owned Kava Reload Bar and brewing business in Tonga.

 

The gender gap in ACP workplaces is a complex issue. By working together, governments, institutions, and businesses can create a future where women can thrive and contribute fully to the economy. The ICR Facility’s reports and tools can serve as a roadmap for achieving this goal. Through collaborative efforts, a future of equal opportunity for women in ACP countries is within reach.

 

[1] Kava (Piper methysticum) is a plant native to the South Pacific islands and its roots are ground into a fine powder to make a traditional beverage which is used as a mildly sedative and relaxing drink.

This publication is part of an intervention supported by the Investment Climate Reform (ICR) Facility. The ICR Facility is co-funded by the European Union (EU), the Organisation of African, Caribbean and Pacific States (OACPS) under the 11th European Development Fund (EDF), the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and the British Council. The ICR Facility is implemented by GIZ, the British Council, Expertise France, and SNV. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the donors or the implementing partners

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