KIRUKU: Women lagging behind in economic empowerment

By Anne Kiruku, East Africa News Agency

A World Bank report has confirmed our worst fears; that cultural practices are overriding formal legal regulations in sealing the economic gap between men and women in sub-Saharan Africa.

The report dubbed, “Women, Business and the Law 2016,” shows that in sub-Saharan Africa, women are still lagging behind in economic empowerment despite efforts by governments to formulate legal reforms to seal the ever-widening gender gap across various sectors of our economies.

It is not a secret that retrogressive cultural practices are a thorn in the flesh of many governments who have the desire to empower women economically. In East Africa, especially, early marriages and female genital mutilation have contributed immensely to slow economic growth among the women folk.

It is a global shame that 46 out of the 173 economies covered by the study have no laws specifically protecting women from gender violence. Failing to protect women legally from gender-based violence is a clear show of lack of respect for life and human dignity. Gender violence has exposed a lot of women to death, physical, emotional and psychological torture, hindering their full participation in family life and national development.

Gender violence affects women and girls of all ages, regardless of location, income level or social status. It can undermine women’s economic empowerment by preventing employment and blocking access to other financial resources.

It is sad that in Tanzania, for example, the earnings of women in formal wage employment who are exposed to severe partner violence are 60 per cent lower than women who are not exposed. Conversely, economic empowerment seems to protect women from violence, making women living in wealthier households have a 45 per cent lower risk of violence than those living in poorer households.

The time has come for international organisations and non-governmental organisations to put pressure on those governments that lack clearly stipulated laws to protect women from gender violence to put their houses in order. We cannot continue to watch silently as women are killed, maimed and openly humiliated.

It is almost laughable yet shocking that in 18 of the economies covered, husbands can prevent their wives from getting into employment, owning formal bank accounts, saving, and accessing credit from financial institutions. To change this sad scenario, a total cultural transformation in our societies is called for so as to make men understand the benefits of empowering women economically. Such men must understand that women and men are not in competition, but they should support each other for the betterment of their families and countries at large.

Indeed, the patriarchal leaning of many societies has sadly ensured that family property legally belongs to the husband – who has the sole discretion to make critical decisions on how it should be spent and shared out among family members, meaning the wife is just a beneficiary and not a co-owner with equal legal rights to matrimonial property.

It is disheartening that 155 of the 173 countries covered by the study have at least one law impeding women from economic empowerment. This shows that even though there have been tremendous efforts by many countries to reform outdated laws and economically empower women, a lot still needs to be done.

In Kenya, for example, the new law on matrimonial property gives spouses equal rights to administer joint property. On getting a job, Kenya raised the age at which both men and women can retire and receive benefits to 60. On protecting women from violence, Kenya’s new Marriage Act stipulates that the minimum legal age of marriage for both boys and girls is 18, and marriages that violate the age requirement are void. The law also establishes criminal penalties for underage marriage.

In Uganda, access to national identity cards, which were introduced in 2014, has been made easier for women; they now follow the same application procedures as men.

It is critical for decision makers to understand that gender equality is a key aspect in economic growth. As societies become more equal and every individual’s productive capacity is valued and engaged, economies become more resilient.

To build an equal society, the key is inclusiveness—to make sure that no group is kept at the margins and subjected to exploitation. If for no other reason than that they constitute half of the world’s population, women deserve special attention. It is not a secret that no economy can grow to its full potential when its women are not treated at par with men.