Women and the World of Work in East and Southern Africa

Decent work and entrepreneurship are key drivers of sustainable income and economic empowerment for women and their communities. Ensuring women’s right to decent work, including social protection, has far-reaching benefits, advancing economic justice, human rights, and progress across multiple SDGs.

Despite progress, women in East and Southern Africa continue to face significant barriers in the workforce and in entrepreneurship. They are often concentrated in low-wage, informal and insecure jobs, with limited access to resources, services and social protections. The gender pay gap remains stark, with women earning on average 21% less than men in the region (UN Women, 2023). Women are also overrepresented in informal sectors, facing obstacles in starting businesses have limited finance opportunities, face digital exclusion, unpaid care responsibilities, and gender-based violence.

Our goal is to accelerate women’s full and equal participation in the workforce and entrepreneurship, reduce the gender pay gap, and unlock new opportunities for women in the East and Southern Africa region.

Our Solutions:

• Evidence and innovation: producing studies and strategies to reduce the gender pay gap and expand women’s access to social protection, providing actionable insights for stakeholders.
• Empowering women in trade: advocating for greater investments in women’s entrepreneurship and trade through skills building for women-led SMEs, promoting women’s engagement in regional trade through the Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), while generating knowledge on the unique challenges faced by women traders.
• Policy and advocacy: Influence how governments and private sector do business by promoting gender-responsive labor laws, leveraging gender responsive procurement, increased access to social protection measures for women in the informal sector, and workplace policies.
• Financial and Digital inclusion: working with governments and partners to expand women’s financial inclusion and access to digital technologies and skills.
• Private sector engagement: partnering with companies to advance gender equality through initiatives like the Women’s Empowerment Principles and gender-responsive supply chains.