Gender Disparities in African Labour Markets: The Sub-Saharan African Experience

Abstract

The path to hasten progress in growth and development hinges upon several indicators. In many developed countries, among the associated factors is the reduction of gender gap in labour participation. Over the past few decades many developing countries have substantially narrowed such disparity. However, this remains high in many Sub-Saharan African societies. Thus, the consequences of high inequality in opportunities and its associated rewards are far-reaching and serve as inhibitors to the development of many African societies. Hence, reducing this gap has the potential to make the continent more vibrant and its institutions more resilient and responsive to development. This paper examines the implications of gender disparities and associated factors in African labour markets. Desk review was conducted to produce the paper. Findings revealed that women and men are disproportionately represented depending on a handful of factors; some of which are largely structural and sociocultural. While men suffer some forms of discrimination related to some employments stereotyped to be typically for women, women face far more noticeable forms of discrimination including that of value and wage. Generally, patriarchy, education and religion play important role in shaping economic opportunities for both men and women in Africa. Specifically, however, targeted discrimination in developing the capacity of girls limits and perpetuates the gender disparities in African labour market. Addressing these disparities structurally such as gender insensitive 
massive investment in human capital would largely aid progress towards growth and development in the continent.