AWD Report 2020
1. FIGHTING POVERTY AND PROMOTING ECONOMIC EMPOWERMENT OF WOMEN AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP, FINANCE AND GENDER BUDGETING More African women than men live in poverty, are unemployed or work in the informal sector.
1.1. Issue Analysis In Africa, female labour participation is high in the majority of countries. Most women work in the informal sector as owners and employees. During the AWD, African countries made much progress in empowering women economically and promoting female entrepreneurship. However, gender pay gaps persist. The World Bank estimates that more than 70% of African women are unable to set up a savings or current account, loans or credit to meet their needs.475 More African women than men live in poverty, are unemployed or work in the informal sector. The incidence of poverty is higher in female-headed households, particularly among severely impoverished families, compared with households headed by men. Women also assume the responsibilities of the household and care work. In Africa, women spend 3.4 more time on unpaid care work than men and, consequently, spend less time on paid work.476 Although all countries, except for Sahrawi Republic (no data found) provide for maternity leave, 31 countries meet or exceed the International Labour Organization (ILO) standard of 14 weeks paid maternity leave. The number of countries that provide for paternity leave is also 31. Most commonly, paternity leave is three days or less. Five countries (Gambia, Kenya, Seychelles, South Sudan and South Africa) provide 14 days of paternity leave.477 Laws related to employment frequently exist in conflicting legal systems, which hinders the effective implementation of laws and ultimately the removal of discriminatory practices that preclude women from attaining economic empowerment, and thus weakens the fight against poverty.
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