September 13, 2011

New report on women in Africa

"Women are our best hope for the continent, says Zimbabwean writer Petina Gappah ... Progress has been slow, but many women are showing the art of the possible, inspiring a new generation to take control of their destiny."

Unfortunately The African Report's full article The 50 Women shaping Africa is not available for free, but the introduction at that link presents some interesting information regarding one of the controversial, if generally highly regarded, mainstays of development aid, "microfinance",  usually in the form of small credit programs. Here a relevant exceprt from the introduction:

"In 2010, the Economic Commission for Africa completed a review of progress, 15 years after the landmark Beijing UN Women’s Conference in 1995.


Its subsequent report paints a gloomy picture of the status of women across the continent. Africans are among the poorest in the world, but according to the Commission, the continent’s women are poorer than its men, and women bear the brunt of poverty. Less than 20% of women are in paid employment in sub-Saharan Africa, according to the UN. As the global economic crisis hit sectors such as textiles and horticulture, it left women with fewer employment opportunities. 
 


Sharpen those pencils

The Commission found that two of the touted tools of economic emancipation for women – microfinance and small-scale business – have been ineffective. Microfinance may be useful for addressing immediate household needs but it does not lead to women’s economic empowerment in a transformative manner.  

Small-scale women’s businesses, focused on traditional jobs such as embroidery, sewing and the sale of food produce, provide limited opportunities for growth. Women are not always able to access resources like land and there is still wage discrimination against women, who also dominate seasonal employment. "... more