Women earn less than men in Eritrea. This article explores the reasons for the gender wage gap in Eritrea as well as documenting implemented solutions. According to TimeCamp, factors include societal norms, gender roles, educational attainment and occupational segregation. A further discussion of each factor follows.

Societal Norms and Gender Roles

Eritrea is a patriarchal society where people see women as inferior to men. Men generally make the decisions in the household, while women handle the domestic affairs. Women who work in Eritrea generally work in agriculture, retail and services (i.e. domestic, informal employment, etc.), which tend to have lower wages. Due to this, women and girls in Eritrea are more vulnerable to falling into poverty.

The World Bank indicates the labor force participation is 72.3% female and 84.3% male. Of those, 83.6% of the females have “vulnerable employment,” in contrast to 65% of men. Vulnerable employment is a type of employment that is “least likely to have formal work arrangements, societal protection and safety nets to guard against economic shocks.” Individuals who have vulnerable employment are more likely to fall into poverty. 

Women’s participation in decision making in public and private sectors is relatively limited. Women occupy 22% of the seats in Eritrea’s 150-member parliament. This is lower than the average rate in other low-income economies.

Educational Attainment

Access to education is key in closing the gender wage gap in Eritrea. Illiteracy and unemployment rates had been significant among the women of Eritrea.  The number of girls attending school is lower than that of boys. The World Bank has reported that 48.2% of girls and 50.4% of boys complete lower secondary school in Eritrea. BTI reports that many girls drop out to avoid sexual harassment. 

Solutions

Eritrea’s government has policies and mechanisms in place to support gender equality, including wages. Eritrea touts several policies enacted that speak of gender equality and equal rights for women. Eritrea’s National Democratic Program, which laid the groundwork for the government upon achieving independence, was enacted in 1977. Part of its framework “assures women full rights of equality with men in politics, economy and social life as well as equal pay for equal work.”

In the area of education, Eritrea has made strides. Eritrea’s Ministry of Information touts its National Education Policy’s pledge to “eliminate gender disparity at all levels of the education system.” This policy was enacted in 2003. The Ministry of Information further indicates that women’s enrollment in primary, secondary, vocational schools and colleges has been rising. Of the nearly 15,000 students who took the Eritrean Secondary Certificate Examination in 2023, 49% of the students were female.

The percentage of girls that complete lower secondary school in Eritrea is higher on average than that of the Sub-Saharan region as a whole.  

Efforts have also been made to address the disparity in women’s participation in decision-making roles. According to the United Nations Development Programs (UNDP), Eritrea implemented special instruments to ensure that women are included in the decision making. Specifically, there is a requirement of 30% of participation in decision making on national, regional and local assemblies as well as community courts, sports federations, and land committees. 

– Danielle Milano

Danielle is based in Pineville, LA, USA and focuses on Good News and Global Health for The Borgen Project.

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