African Pre-CSW61 consultative meeting on the theme: “Women’s economic empowerment in the changing world of work: challenges and opportunities in Africa”

Abstract

This background paper has been developed for the Africa’s Pre-CSW 61st Consultative Meeting to define Africa’s priorities for the 61st Session of the Commission on the Status of Women in March 2017. The paper does not aim at analyzing all the issues related to women in the changing world of work in Africa in an exhaustive manner. Rather, its purpose is to stimulate the high level policy dialogue among African Ministers of Gender and Women’s Affairs and experts. In this vain, the paper first set the stage by analyzing the positive linkage between women’s employment and their economic empowerment in Africa in Part 1. Part 2 analyses, the trends in the labor market in Africa from a gender perspective, followed by an analysis of the main gender inequalities and discrimination against women in the world of work in Africa. It concludes by recommending priority policy actions to protect and secure women’s right to decent employment to be considered by African governments.