Since then, women have been fighting this discrimination and restoring the balance between genders. They have proven to the world today that they are men's equals in all fields.
Women's place in the working world in sub-Saharan Africa
The table below shows women's participation in all sectors of activity, including agriculture. The figures are influenced by the high participation of women in agriculture, the main economic resource in Africa.
Women's participation rate in the labor force in Africa
| Country | 1990 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|
South Africa | 42% | 50% |
Cameroon | 71% | 67% |
Côte d’Ivoire | 49% | 57% |
Gabon | 37% | 38% |
Ghana | 72% | 65% |
Kenya | 70% | 72% |
Liberia | 53% | 72% |
Mozambique | 87% | 78% |
Nigeria | 48% | 52% |
Uganda | 62% | 67% |
Rwanda | 87% | 49% |
Senegal | 33% | 38% |
Zimbabwe | 68% | 61% |
* All activity sectors combined
Source: https://donnees.banquemondiale.org/indicateur/SL.TLF.CACT.FE.ZS
According to the World Bank, the participation rate of women (aged 15 and over) in the labor force in sub-Saharan Africa is among the highest in the world.
In Kenya, Liberia and Mozambique, women's contribution to the labor market exceeds 70%, a much higher level than in the Scandinavian countries where in Norway and Sweden, women represent 61% of the working population in 2021.
In sub-Saharan Africa, agriculture, the main economic activity, accounts for almost all of the female labor force. Cultural traditions in these countries encourage women to be economically self-sufficient. They generally work on family farms as subsistence farmers. Large numbers of women are also found on small commercial farms. Yet, their participation in the industrial and service sectors remains low.
In South Africa, where the agricultural sector is modern and highly mechanized, there are fewer women. They only make up 50% of the working population. This rate is much lower than the 78% recorded in Mozambique, a neighboring country.
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Women's place in the working world: the Middle East and North Africa
In the Middle East and North Africa (MENA), a region where sociocultural factors are more prevalent, women's access to the labor market is still highly problematic. However, tangible improvements have been noted over the past decades.
Women's participation rate in the labor force in the MENA zone
| Country | 1990 | 2021 |
|---|---|---|
| Algeria | 11% | 16% |
| Tunisia | 23% | 26% |
| Morocco | 24% | 21% |
| Egypt | 21% | 15% |
| Lebanon | 19% | 28% |
| Jordan | 11% | 14% |
| Oman | 20% | 30% |
| Turkey | 34% | 32% |
| Iran | 10% | 15% |
Except in Turkey, women's participation rate in the labor force (for those over 15 years old) does not exceed 30%. This is very different from women's situation in sub-Saharan Africa.
These findings should not, however, overshadow the progress made in recent years. Women's contribution to the working world in the MENA region has improved significantly. The latest example is Saudi Arabia, where women have been given more freedom to work in recent years.
Women's place in the working world by region
The MENA region has the lowest number of women in the labor force (18% in 2021). However, excluding Latin America and Europe, the MENA index shows the highest increase (+5.8%) compared to other regions of the world.
Progress in the MENA region has been mainly driven by improvements in female education. Today, the number of women in primary and secondary education is equal to that of men. In addition, female students sometimes outnumber male students in universities.
Women's participation rate in the labor force by region
| Region | 1990 | 2021 | Growth rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Middle East and North Africa | 17% | 18% | 5,8% |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | 60% | 60% | 0% |
| North America | 56% | 56% | 0% |
| Latin America and Caribbean | 40% | 50% | 25% |
| East and Pacific Asia | 66% | 59% | -10,6% |
| South Asia | 33% | 25% | -24,24% |
| Europe | 46% | 51% | 10,9% |
* All activity sectors combined
Source: https://donnees.banquemondiale.org/indicateur/SL.TLF.CACT.FE.ZS
The decline in the number of working women in Asia Pacific and South Asia is due to the shrinking of the agricultural sector, which traditionally employs a large number of women. Both regions are undergoing a major transformation.
Subcontracting, tourism and manufacturing are developing at a high rate at the expense of agriculture, resulting in more women losing their jobs.