Women and the Gender Gap

07 May Women and the Gender Gap

As Nigeria faces the immediate challenge of stimulating economic recovery in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and corresponding economic shocks, it also has the opportunity to address the sizable gender gaps that undermine women’s economic empowerment and hinder inclusive economic growth. Gender disparities in earnings not only hold back the Nigerian economy, they also represent an opportunity: closing the gender gaps in key economic sectors could yield additional gains of US$9.3 billion or up to US$22.9 billion. Women’s economic empowerment will also be key to accelerating a demographic transition and reaping the gains of a demographic dividend. Drawing on data from the most recent Nigeria General Household Survey (2018–2019), a report by the World Bank titled ‘Closing Gaps, Increasing Opportunities: A Diagnostic on Women’s Economic Empowerment in Nigeria’ makes 5 critical contributions: I. Highlighting the gender gaps in labour force participation II. Documenting the magnitude and drivers of the gender gaps in key economic sectors III. Diving deep into three contextual constraints: land, livestock, and occupational segregation IV. Measuring the costs of the gender gaps V. Offering policy and programming recommendations of innovative options to close the gender gaps It is imperative that we create an economic reality within which Nigerian women can find secure and profitable work leading to higher earnings, thereby enabling them to overcome numerous gender-specific barriers to their economic participation and productivity. Source / worldbank.org