Women in Agriculture – Gender inequality is an issue that continues to pervade every echelon of society. Although several efforts have been made to extinguish it, gender inequality still eats deep into every corner of our society. The very fact that out of 195 countries, women head only 22, is one of many statistics that show gender inequality in all its glory.

A 2020 report by the World Bank group, studying equality patterns for the past 50 years, revealed that on average women have just three-fourths of the legal rights afforded to men. Furthermore, a 2019 United Nations Development Programmes (UNDP) Nigeria report showed women earn only 77 cents for every dollar that men earn for the same work and represent just 13 percent of agricultural landholders.

Similarly, the 2019 Global Gender Summit highlighted that “Women are responsible for 60% of work done globally, yet earn just 10% of the income and own 1% of the property“.

Gender equality remains a grey area in Africa, with lesser opportunities for women. There is a US$42 billion financing gap between men and women in Africa and 70% of women are excluded financially. The global COVID19 pandemic has only made matters worse, because women make up 70 per cent of the global healthcare workforce.

The United Nations’ Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, noted when commenting on the effects of gender inequality at the Opening of the 65th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women, that “compared to men, women are 24 per cent more likely to lose their jobs, and can expect their income to fall 50 per cent more steeply“.


Read more here: https://babbangona.com/women-in-agriculture-the-untold-stories-of-growth-and-empowerment/