Effects of gender inequity on economic growth in sub-saharan africa essay

Gender equity remains to be a significant issue in the society, particularly with regards to the economic growth of the country. The gap that separates men and women is considered to be one of the major factors affecting a particular country’s ability to become competitive in globalization. The world recognizes that gender equality and development comes together, hand in hand. In order for a country to achieve economic growth and development, there should have a small or no gap at all between men and women. This statement was said to have been proven by the study facilitated by the World Bank in 2000. Inter Press Service English News Wire, 2000) “ The societies which discriminate on the basis of gender pay a significant price in more poverty, slower economic growth, weaker governance and lower quality of life. ” (Inter Press Service English News Wire, 2000) “ Gender inequalities in basic rights, education, access to resources and participation in public life affect development, and they tend to be largest in low-income countries.

Within these countries these inequalities are greatest among the poor, notes the report. ” (Inter Press Service English News Wire, 2000)Gender Inequity in Sub-Saharan Africa This issue concerning the relationship of gender equity and economic growth seem to be dominant in Sub-Saharan Africa. For several years of studies and research, there had been a very obvious gap in opportunities between men and women in Africa.

This factor is considered by researchers to be the reason why the country finds it hard to escape poverty and attain economic development and sustainability. In a speech delivered by Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) Executive Secretary K. Y. Amoako, he said that an eighty percent growth reduction is observed per year since 1960 due to gender inequalities in education and employment.

(Xinhua News Agency, 2004a) “ Amoako said gender inequality also made women more vulnerable to poverty, and supporting a stronger role for African women is a “ proven way out” for the world’s poorest continent’s problems such as poverty, child mortality and under-development. ” (Xinhua News Agency, 2004a) Women’s status is a major continental issue in Africa, where the society is dominated by the male. The United Nations (UN) reported that according to ECA, eighty percent of the continent’s poor are estimated to be women. (Xinhua News Agency, 2004b) Two of the most dominant aspect with which gender inequity is observed in Sub-Saharan Africa is with education and employment opportunities.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, if the ratio of female-to-male years of schooling had been near parity in 1990, its under-five child mortality would have been 25 percent lower. It is widely acknowledged that gender inequalities in education and access to other productive resources create inefficiencies that reduce countries’ prospects for economic growth. Inter Press Service English News Wire, 2000) Evidence cited in the new study taken from farm studies in Sub-Saharan Africa suggests that improving gender equality in access to productive resources could increase agricultural productivity by as much as one-fifth. (Inter Press Service English News Wire, 2000) In sub-Saharan Africa, women comprise 60 percent of the informal sector (including informal trade), provide about 70 percent of the total agricultural labor, and produce about 90 percent of the food. Yet, they lack equal access to health, education, finance and other essential resources.

(Xinhua News Agency, 2004b) Women appear to be particularly under-represented in the manual labor categories, especially in unskilled jobs. They are more strongly represented in supervisory jobs, accounting for a quarter of total employment in the junior executive and supervisor categories. Lastly, relative to the average feminization rate of 18 per cent across all occupations, women do not seem to be particularly under-represented in management jobs. (Meurs, 2003) ConclusionWomen’s under-representation in the least skilled jobs thus reflects both their low participation in modern-sector wage employment and their level of education which, incidentally, is on average lower than that of the male population. That “ feminine jobs” tend to be concentrated in lower management is thus somewhat paradoxical in the light of the overall pattern of female labor market participation.

(Meurs, 2003) Because of the women’s unprivileged educational opportunities, they tend to learn less than men which only proves their perception of them being unable to perform the tasks that are supposed to be given to them. Africa’s gender issue is costing the world’s poorest continent dearly. ” (Xinhua News Agency, 2004b)The past twenty years have witnessed a proliferation of economic studies, both theoretical and empirical, on wage discrimination against women. To an economist, such discrimination remains an elusive market failure because it means that employers pay workers different wages for doing the same job. This behavior on the part of employers is unsustainable in a competitive market because enterprises laboring under such prejudice will be less profitable than their competitors and get driven out of business. Meurs, 2003)References & Works Cited: African leaders vow to promote gender equality. 2004b.

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