Archive for category: Gender Wage Inequality

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The Gender Wage Gap in Samoa

The Gender Wage Gap in Samoa
The beautiful island of Samoa has countless great things about it: many waterfalls and waterholes, colorful and delicious dishes primarily with fish and the many coral reefs that surround the island. As it continues to thrive, the gender wage gap in Samoa and fewer opportunities for women in the workforce than for men keep a stranglehold on the country. For the past five years, this has been a major problem looming over Samoa and several other countries. Here is information about the gender wage gap in Samoa.

About the Gender Wage Gap in Samoa

The gender wage gap is the yearly average of men’s and women’s earnings across a wide variety of jobs, then comparing the totals for both. Using Samoa in 2022 as an example, men earned $11.7 per hour and women earned $11.2 per hour. Now, a common misconception is that this means women literally receive less pay to do the same job as men, which is not true for most jobs.

In 2022, the jobs that Samoan men dominated the most were construction, electricity and transport, and about 18.1% of working men made a quarterly wage of $19,546. As for women, their most dominant jobs in 2022 were in financial service, health and education, and 16.8% of working women made a quarterly wage of $20,571. This means that while women made more money in their fields, less women were in those fields, which brought down their average money per hour to 50 cents less than men.

The Reason for the Gender Wage Gap in Samoa

A multitude of things cause the gender wage gap in Samoa including what each gender works at, how many hours they work, education differences, medical conditions and outside responsibilities. For example, in 2019, the gender wage gap in Samoa had women doing better than men. In fact, men earned an average annual wage of $22,044, while women’s average annual wage was $24,201, a 9.8% difference.

In 2019, a huge measles epidemic broke out in Samoa, causing the country to shut down and put most work on hold to make sure the virus stopped spreading. This meant that most male-dominated fields such as construction and fishing were put on pause, while the need for female-dominated fields like financial services and health went up. The gendered wage gap is often much more complicated than what simple numbers or graphs tell.

Education and Poverty

In 2023, statistics showed that 15.2% of Samoans were in poverty, and most commonly in rural areas like Upolu. While both men and women sit at nearly the same poverty percentage on average, the biggest different in men and women’s poverty rates are for those who went to vocational schools. Men who attended vocational schools had a 9.4% poverty rate while women who went to vocational schools had a 16.7% poverty rate.

CARE’s Efforts

There are currently efforts in place to address the gender wage gap in Samoa, mostly thanks to NGOs like CARE, an Australian charity that focuses its efforts and money on solving women’s problems in countries that struggle with poverty. It has been doing work for Samoa since 2021, supporting women farmers and independent workers with financial support and giving them what they need to be climate-prepared in case of emergencies, along with their partner Women in Business Development Inc. 

Looking Ahead

The gender wage gap is a nuanced and complicated situation for Samoa to settle, let alone for any country. It takes time, many studies and an understanding of outside factors to narrow the gap between working men and women. Samoa doesn’t have it as bad as other countries; the efforts needed to bring the gender wage gap to balance are tough but definitely manageable. While Samoans struggle with the gender wage gap in the present, the future looks bright. That’s the true present.

– Ares Bryant

Ares Bryant is based in Portland, OR and focuses on Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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Addressing the Gender Wage Gap in Lesotho

Gender Wage Gap in LesothoIn Southern Africa, Lesotho has a population of 2.3 million people. In Lesotho, women make up a majority of the garment industry, making them key to the economy. However, they face unequal access to workplace opportunities and receive lower, unequal wages, despite Lesotho’s constitution declaring equal pay. These significant differences in what women receive compared to men create a gender wage gap in Lesotho. 

Statistics

Researchers struggle to determine the gender wage gap in Lesotho because they lack access to national data on pay differences between men and women. Even with collected data, large gaps remain between what organizations publish and what they don’t. According to UN Women, 33.6% of the national indicators that researchers need to determine the gender pay gap were available, highlighting gaps in what organizations release. These included women’s access to assets; relations to poverty, gender and environment; and workplace harassment.

The garment industry accounts for much of the gender wage gap in Lesotho, where factories employ more women than men. The Guardian reports that, “According to the trade ministry, there are about 36,000 textile workers [in Lesotho] – mostly women.” Although women make up the overwhelming majority of workers, employers deny them equal pay. Additionally, many young women aged 15+ do unpaid domestic work, which makes up 15.6% of their time, compared to men, who receive 6.2% of their domestic work unpaid.

Community Impact

Since women make up the majority of the garment industry, they are more likely to work in harsher conditions. Men are more likely to enter professions with higher salaries, such as mining. In contrast, women are more likely to work in the textile industry, which pays significantly lower wages, contributing to the gender wage gap in Lesotho.

As a result, women may struggle to earn a livable wage to support themselves and their families. As a result, many families can no longer afford daily necessities. This has sparked many social movements, as women have begun protesting for equal pay and equal opportunities.

Solutions

Lesotho is currently addressing the wage gap through numerous measures. For instance, Lesotho has begun implementing the Labor Act of 2024, which provides stronger equal-pay rights. It states that employers must pay men and women equally for the same work and that employers cannot discriminate based on a person’s gender. The country also has a Department of Gender, which works to promote equal opportunities for all genders by raising awareness and supporting initiatives to stop discrimination.

The Lesotho Agreement is also an outcome of the government’s work, creating a system to acknowledge and address industry complaints through investigation. It pushed the industry to accept the agreement, allowing workers to submit complaints about discrimination or unfair treatment from supervisors and benefiting more than 10,000 workers. Progress reports show that evaluators have recommended that supervisors take classes on fair treatment of workers, and operatives have substantially increased their investigations, helping many in Lesotho.

Looking Ahead

The gender wage gap in Lesotho is a large issue; however, promoters and lawmakers are taking steps to eliminate the unfair treatment and unequal access to wages and opportunities for women. Legal protections, along with better data collection like the WRS Network, improve access to opportunities to fight for better pay and open doors to equal opportunity. Therefore, Lesotho will be closer to closing the wage gap if it continues to follow these legal and social movements.

– Zaynab Faruqi

Zaynab is based in West Windsor, NJ, USA and focuses on Global Health for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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Women Fighting Poverty in the Solomon Islands

Poverty in the Solomon Islands The Solomon Islands are an archipelagic country in Oceania with a population of 800,000. The island nation has faced economic problems due to civil war, natural disasters and overreliance on natural resources.

Poverty is high in the Solomon Islands due to geographic isolation, reliance on subsistence agriculture and limited access to basic health care, education, electricity, sanitation and water. According to the Asian Development Bank, 43.3% of the employed population were below $3 purchasing power parity per day in 2025. This makes it one of the most poverty-ridden nations in the Pacific region.

Gender inequality and violence against women are high in the Solomon Islands. The nation is a patriarchal society with men holding the majority of positions of power. According to the Solomon Islands Government, two in three women have experienced physical or sexual violence from their partner. Women face issues in employment as well. According to the World Bank, vulnerable employment among women was 79.1% while among men it was 59% in 2025.

Despite facing barriers to economic opportunities and gender inequality, women across the Solomon Islands are playing an increasingly important role in tackling poverty. Programs such as Women’s Rights Action Movement (WRAM) and Oxfam’s Kōtui program are working to address these issues by expanding women’s access to skills, education, financial opportunities and leadership development.

Women’s Rights Action Movement (WRAM)

WRAM is a women’s rights nongovernmental organization (NGO) founded in the Solomon Islands in 2011. Its mission is to support the government in promoting and protecting the equal rights of women and men, addressing gender inequalities through targeted action and collaborating with NGOs to strengthen good governance in the Solomon Islands.

Currently, the International Women’s Development Agency (IWDA) is supporting WRAM to implement the 2023 Women Ignite Stability and Economic Recovery (WISER) Program. The program aims to increase women’s political representation through legislation and reserved seats, while strengthening the Solomon Islands women’s rights movement, advancing young women’s leadership and building WRAM’s organizational capacity.

Additionally, WRAM helped secure the 2014 Family Protection Act, which made domestic violence illegal in the Solomon Islands, and now campaigns for reserved seats for women at the provincial level while leading national efforts to strengthen women’s rights and political participation.

Oxfam’s Kōtui Program

In Malaita, the second most populous island of the Solomon Islands, women are leading change through financial inclusion. Oxfam’s Kōtui program, in partnership with West ‘Are’are Rokotanikeni Association (WARA), is an initiative promoting women’s economic empowerment. It forms savings groups in remote regions for women to learn leadership skills and financial literacy and build collective confidence in their communities.

This program is crucial for a heavily male-dominated society where women are often not included in decision-making processes that influence their own lives. Workshops help women articulate issues and negotiate to achieve their goals in an organized manner.

Looking Ahead

Empowering women is essential to reducing poverty and building stronger communities in the Solomon Islands. Through programs such as WRAM, Kōtui and WARA, women are gaining greater access to economic opportunities, skills and leadership roles. Continued investment in women’s empowerment could help create a more equal, sustainable and resilient future for the Solomon Islands.

– Maya Hagiwara

Maya is based in Tokyo, Japan and focuses on Good News for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Pexels

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Gender Wage Gap in Cameroon: Poverty and the Path Forward

Gender Wage Gap in CameroonFor every 672.40 CFA francs men earn in Cameroon, women earn only 496.40 CFA francs, according to the World Bank. This stark disparity highlights the gender wage gap in Cameroon, a persistent issue limiting women’s economic mobility and overall equality in the region. While Cameroon has taken steps to address gender inequality through initiatives such as the National Gender Policy, women still face significant disparities in earnings and economic opportunities. The country continues to lag globally, ranking 97th out of 146 countries on the 2022 World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Index, as highlighted in the Cameroon Gender Equity Report 2023.

Not only is women’s participation in the labor market in Cameroon lower than men’s, but they are also paid less, have less secure jobs and have fewer opportunities to advance into leadership roles. According to data from the International Labor Organization (ILO), in the formal sector, men earn 18% to 21% more than women in similar roles.

Women, Wages and Poverty

The gender wage gap in Cameroon is not just an issue of inequality—it is a key driver of poverty. When women earn significantly less than men, their ability to meet basic needs and escape poverty is severely limited. In Cameroon, poverty disproportionately affects women. While about 37.5% of the population lives below the poverty line, this figure rises to 51.5% for women, the majority of whom are also underemployed. Due to limited access to stable or formal employment, women are more likely to remain in low-paying, insecure jobs, reinforcing cycles of poverty. This is also visible through women’s lack of asset ownership; only around 3% own a house, and just 1.6% hold property titles.

Countries with the largest gender gaps in economic participation are often among the poorest. According to the World Economic Forum, “gender inequality is not a symptom of poverty, but a fundamental cause of it.” Research shows that eliminating gender disparities in the formal sector can improve living conditions for households with working women and reduce overall poverty rates at the national level.

What Drives the Gender Wage Gap in Cameroon?

One of the primary reasons for the gender wage gap in Cameroon is the disproportionate number of women who have employment in the informal sector. In 2025, only 21.9% of employed women were engaged in wage and salaried work, compared to 37.5% of men. Since the informal sector often includes low wages, poor job security, and little to no social benefits, women are concentrated in vulnerable and low-paying roles, increasing the wage gap between men and women. 

This disparity in employment is not incidental but rooted in structural barriers that limit women’s access to formal, salaried work. Education plays a major role in shaping job opportunities. While many girls attend primary and secondary school, fewer complete higher education, limiting their access to formal and private-sector jobs. Among self-employed women, most have primary and secondary education. Meanwhile, only 6.25% of women in formal pay-employment hold a higher education degree, compared to 10.84% of men. Because fewer women complete higher education, they are less likely to work in higher-paying jobs that require specialized qualifications.

 Another crucial factor behind the wage gap is work experience. In formal pay employment, men possess significantly more work experience, averaging 7.2 years compared to only 5.4 years for women. Women come with a structural disadvantage, as many often shoulder unpaid care responsibilities at home, including childcare and household duties, which inevitably take a toll on opportunities for paid work. This domestic burden directly reduces the time women can commit to paid work, which further widens the wage gap.

However, even after accounting for disparities in education and experience, a significant portion of the wage gap remains unexplained, particularly among higher earners. While the wage gap is smaller among low-income workers, it widens as incomes increase, with the largest disparities observed among top earners, often called the “Glass Ceiling Effect”. The unexplained factors for the wage gap make up 61.56% of the wage gap and continue to grow. The massive pay difference at this stage has no objective reason, such as a lack of skills or qualifications, but rather systemic biases.

Cameroon’s Response

While the gender wage gap persists, the Government of Cameroon has taken several steps to promote gender equality. It adopted the National Gender Policy (2011–2020), which provides a framework for advancing gender equality. In addition to policy reforms, Cameroon has made progress in labor outcomes. Since 1991, the rate of vulnerable employment among women in Cameroon has declined and is lower than the Sub-Saharan African average.

In 2021 and 2022, for the first time, the government also introduced a Gender-Sensitive Budget Document and the 2022 and 2023 Finance Laws. These budgets aim to align public spending with gender equality goals by funding programs that benefit both women and men and by assessing their impact on the population.

Cameroon also improved its Gender Inequality Index (GII) between 1995 and 2015, nearly reaching the Sub-Saharan African average. In addition, the female-to-male unemployment ratio declined from 1.4 in 2015 to 1.2 among young people, partly due to government programs supporting women and improved access to education for girls.

The Path Forward

Looking ahead, Cameroon has the opportunity to narrow the gender wage gap by strengthening policies that promote equal pay, women’s economic participation and access to leadership opportunities.

Policies that address the barriers women face, both when entering the workforce and throughout their employment, can help reduce the gender wage gap in Cameroon and move the country toward greater equality. A strong focus on education is key to achieving this goal. While government initiatives such as “Education for All” have promoted girls’ education at the primary school level, addressing women’s low participation in higher education remains critical. Retention policies targeting young women, such as scholarships or training programs, can help close this gap, positioning more women to access higher-paying, formal employment.

Across Cameroon and similar contexts, targeted interventions, from global scholarships and training programs like the Cameroon Women’s Scholarship or African Academy for Women in Political Leadership to locally grounded initiatives such as the Joseph Sack Foundation, demonstrate how programs providing financial support, mentorship, and skills training are effective in retaining women in higher education

Cameroon is beginning to shift from awareness to action, putting real measures in place to address these inequalities. With continued effort and stronger implementation of solutions, meaningful change is not just possible, but very likely.

– Maliha Khan

Maliha is based in Srinagar, Kashmir and focuses on Good News and Technology for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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The Gender Wage Gap in the Marshall Islands

Gender Wage Gap in the Marshall IslandsLocated between the Philippines and Hawaii, the Marshall Islands have a matrilineal tradition where women have historically inherited land and held important social status. Yet, women continue to face the gender wage gap in the Marshall Islands.

About the Gender Wage Gap in the Marshall Islands

The gender wage gap is most evident when looking at the facts. Women working in similar occupations earn about 14% less per year than men. This is due to various factors: limited workplace protections, limited education and high unemployment rates among women. Many of these disparities are rooted in traditional social structures.

The Constitution of the Republic of the Marshall Islands helps protect traditions and customs, granting protection to laws that contribute to discrimination against women. While women still inherit the land, discrimination against women is still present in various ways.

Traditional customs do not grant women chiefly positions; consequently, only 12 women serve on the Council of Iroji. Although it is not prohibited, the council has just started to promote it.

Additionally, women have the highest unemployment rate compared to men; in part, this is due to the low labor force that women comprise, but it’s also due to the lack of opportunities. When employers hire women for paid employment, they often receive fewer hours than men.

How the Marshall Islands Is Addressing the Gender Wage Gap

The government has recently begun implementing solutions to bridge the gender wage gap. While these initial efforts represent an important step forward, further policies and reforms are needed to achieve meaningful progress. The following section outlines three key solutions that could help reduce the gender wage gap in the Marshall Islands.

1. Strengthening the Gender Equality Act 

Since 2019, the Gender Equality Act  in place in the Marshall Islands, making this part of national law. However, due to traditions, what the act represents tends to clash with cultural values. 

The Marshall Islands government has begun taking steps to strengthen nationwide implementation of the Gender Equality Act. Expanding enforcement mechanisms and ensuring employers comply with the legislation could further reduce gender discrimination in employment by requiring equal treatment between men and women and equal pay.

2. Ratify the ILO Equal Remuneration Convention No.100

The ILO Equal Remuneration Convention is an international treaty adopted by the International Labor Organization (ILO). It is an agreement in which countries commit to meeting international standards on equal pay for work of equal value. 

Although the Marshall Islands has not yet ratified the ILO Equal Remuneration Convention No. 100, doing so would build on its existing commitment to gender equality by bridging domestic and international law through the alignment of domestic legislation with international labor standards.  

Ratifying the ILO Equal Remuneration Convention would strengthen the Marshall Islands’ commitment to internationally recognized standards of equal pay and encourage further reforms to continue to reduce the gender wage gap in the Marshall Islands.

3. Strengthening Workplace Protection

The Marshall Islands has already begun addressing gender inequality through legal reforms. In 2022, the World Bank’s Women, Business and the Law report identified development opportunities, stating that “When it comes to laws affecting women’s decisions to work, laws affecting women’s work after having children, gender differences in property and inheritance, and laws affecting the size of a woman’s pension, the Marshall Islands could consider reforms to improve legal equality for women.”

The World Bank recommends workplace protections such as maternity protection, paid parental leave, protection from discrimination and harassment and improvement in working conditions.

These policies help women not only remain in the workforce but also progress into higher-paying roles, which would increase the number of women in high-paying positions by reducing career interruptions that contribute to the gender wage gap in the Marshall Islands.

Looking Ahead

While the gender wage gap remains a persistent challenge in the Marshall Islands, a combination of policies and targeted initiatives could help reduce inequality. The country’s recent efforts to strengthen gender equality represent promising first steps toward more equitable economic opportunities for women. 

– Clara Iglesias Romero

Clara is based in Galicia, Spain, and focuses on Good News and Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Unsplash

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Addressing the Gender Wage Gap in Cabo Verde

Gender Wage Gap in Cabo VerdeCabo Verde is an archipelagic country off the coast of West Africa, where women make up just under half of the country’s total population. Despite the push to increase the labor participation rate amongst women and their presence within male-dominated fields, the gender wage gap in Cabo Verde still persists. This is largely due to a mixture of cultural norms and limited options of employment for women. However, landmark government reforms are aiming to combat this disparity.

Employment Opportunities

The labor participation rate amongst women is approximately 50.5%, an increase of 9.6% since the 90s. This is lower than the male participation rate, which is approximately 62.4%. This reveals how around 49.5% of women who are eligible to work in Cabo Verde are out of work.

For the women who are in employment, the opportunities that are available to them are limited. Although women hold 29% of senior and middle management roles within businesses, data from the World Bank reveals how the rate of vulnerable employment is higher amongst women than it is for men. This is work that has more informal arrangements and less social protection. 44.7% of women work within this industry, compared to 26.1% of men, fueling the gender wage gap in Cabo Verde.

Tourism offers many employment opportunities as it makes up 25% of Cabo Verde’s GDP. While women make up 60% of the labor within this industry, they earn 50% less than their male counterparts. Many women have short-term work contracts, a shortcoming that offers more instability for working women.

Marriage and Childcare

Early marriage and childcare responsibilities can limit women’s potential earnings which widens the gender wage gap in Cabo Verde. About 93% of non-employed women revealed that family responsibilities are their main reason for being out of work, with this issue being particularly prominent in rural areas.

According to UN Women, 8.4% of women aged 20 to 24 were married before they were 18. Early marriage can disrupt a woman’s education and her access to skills and resources needed to find good employment.

Efforts To Combat the Gender Wage Gap in Cabo Verde

Cabo Verde’s constitution guarantees equal rights for men and women. This is reflected in the Law of Parity, passed in 2019 which outlines a minimum quota of 40% in the representation of each gender within voting and electoral lists. By increasing female participation in politics, it strengthens the position of women within the workforce, minimizing the gender wage gap in Cabo Verde.

In 2023, UN Women, with the support of the Cabo Verdean Institute for Gender Equality and Equity commissioned the Action Plan for Gender Mainstreaming in Tourism. Its priorities include institutional strengthening, training and capacity building and women’s equality and empowerment. This resulted in the development of mentoring programs for women in male-dominated industries.

The impact of the expansion of vocational training for women enables them to gain important skills in business and financial literacy, combatting the gender wage gap in Cabo Verde. Katia Tavares is a recipient of the government’s program, where she undertook courses in a variety of fields. She chose to pursue a career in plumbing, a male-dominated field, due to its financial benefits. It marked a change from her previous job of selling clothes, where many days were unprofitable.

Women in the Workplace

In 2024, the Ministry of Finance in Cabo Verde implemented the Gender Equality Seal for Public Institutions, with a Gender Equality Commission formed to monitor the effective implementation of it within the workplace. It aimed to promote gender equality through government transparency. One of its key aims is the prevention and response to workplace harassment and gender-based violence.

This initiative highlights the next steps in ensuring women are safe as they enter the workplace. With many government initiatives in place, there is a clear drive to close the gender wage gap in Cabo Verde to create meaningful equality between men and women.

– Maya Tailor

Maya is based in London, UK and focuses on Global Health and Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr

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Fighting the Gender Wage Gap in Belize

Gender Wage Gap in BelizeIn Belize, a country near the northeastern coast of Central America, women make up half of the population yet earn far less than their male counterparts. The gender wage gap in Belize remains one of the most consistent economic inequalities present in the county, rooted in labor market barriers, deep cultural norms and occupational segregation. However, policy reform and grassroots advocacy is starting to build momentum towards change in the country.

The Numbers Behind The Gap

In Belize, inequality is significantly concerning, especially the scale of wage. The Statistical Institute of Belize states that the average monthly income for people in Belize in 2021 was 1,498 Belize dollars, yet women earned an average of only $1,116, less than 24% of what men make.

While women make up 40% of Belize’s labor force, men make up nearly 60%. Women work largely in healthcare, tourism, education and nonprofit work, sectors of work that generally receive lower wages. Men work primarily in more high paying and physically demanding sectors, like agriculture, and construction.

Barriers Keeping Women Behind

Many interlinked barriers maintain the gender wage gap in Belize. A 2007 report from the Women’s Anti-Discrimination Committee that monitored CEDAW compliance found that women in Belize suffered from discriminatory hiring practices, sexual harassment, limited maternal protections and persistent pay inequality.

Household duties and family responsibilities present themselves as another difficult obstacle. Many Belizean women are unable to participate full time in the workforce, especially in lower-income communities and rural areas. This is due to caregiving labor that is largely unrecognized and unpaid, and yet falls disproportionately on them. Women in Belize seldom receive managerial positions, which is huge regarding earning gaps. The U.S. Belize Human Rights report confirms that men earn more per month than women because they hold a larger portion of senior management roles.

Legislative Steps

To address these inequalities, Belize has taken on many meaningful legislative steps over the years. Belize ratified the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 1990, an international treaty that obligated the country legally to eliminate discrimination for women and promote equal rights in all areas of life.

Belize amended its Labor Act in 2011 following concerns that CEDAW monitors brought up, penalizing unfair dismissals and establishing the Labor Complaints Tribunal. Women’s unemployment rates declined by nearly 5% between 2014 and 2015, and the portion of women obtaining university degrees has increased since those amendments took place.

In April 2024, Belize approved the Revised National Gender Policy from 2024-2030, supported by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). The policy’s goal is to “achieve gender equity and equality and end discrimination against women and girls in Belize.” Addressing gender responsive education, healthcare, economic empowerment, women’s leadership and the end of gender based violence. It also aligns with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality.

Organizations Leading the Charge

The National Women’s Commission (NWC) of Belize serves as the government’s primary advisory body on gender equality and women’s empowerment. After its establishment, the NWS coordinates the implementation of the National Gender Policy and advocates for CEDAW compliance between private and public sectors. Its goal is to recommend policy and legal changes that end discrimination against women and ensure that they have access to equal rights in practice, and not just on paper. The NWC conducted the first situation analysis of gender issues in Belize, and those findings developed the country’s first National Gender Policy in 2002.

The Government’s BOOST Program; Building Opportunities for our Social Transformation, turrets multidimensional poverty and uplifts female headed households through vocational training and cash transfers. A Decent Work country Programme launched in 2024 focuses specifically on economic empowerment for women, through skills training, labor rights awareness and access to financial resources.

A Path Forward

Belize’s wage gap isn’t isolated, but is the product of many structural inequalities in domestic caregiving, education and political representation. The World Economic Forum’s 2024 Global Gender Gap Index gave Belize a score of 0.07%, with political empowerment at a gap of 91%, showing that women are vastly underrepresented in decision making and leadership roles.

For Belizean women, the gap isn’t just a statistic, but it prevents them from building, achieving and earning. But Belize is finally no longer just acknowledging the issues but is creating systems to solve it.

– Saakshi Bhat

Saakshi is based in San Marcos, CA, USA and focuses on Global Health and Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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Closing the Gender Wage Gap in Equatorial Guinea

Gender Wage Gap in Equatorial GuineaDespite being one of sub-Saharan Africa’s wealthiest nations per capita, Equatorial Guinea has long failed to translate its oil-driven prosperity into equal economic opportunity for women. The gender wage gap in Equatorial Guinea persists due to a combination of deep-rooted social norms, educational disparities and legal gaps, but a landmark 2024 government initiative signals a genuine turning point.

A Wealth Gap Hidden in Plain Sight

Women hold only about 40% of positions in Equatorial Guinea’s total labor force, earning less than their male counterparts across sectors. Men overwhelmingly dominate the oil industry, which drives the country’s economy and commands significantly higher wages, leaving women concentrated in lower-paying agriculture and informal service work.

Informal social norms compound these structural barriers. According to the OECD’s 2023 Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI), 55% of the population believes men make better business executives than women, and another 55% agrees that when jobs are scarce, men should have more right to employment than women. These attitudes narrow women’s economic opportunities even where formal legal protections exist.

Education and Opportunity

The gender wage gap in Equatorial Guinea also reflects a persistent educational gap. Girls, particularly those from rural and lower-income households, face significant barriers to completing secondary school. A high rate of child marriage contributes directly: the OECD SIGI reports that 30% of women aged 20 to 24 were married or in a union before age 18, compared to a world average of 26% and a regional African average of 31%.

Early marriage interrupts schooling and limits women’s lifetime earning potential, funneling them into lower-paying sectors while men gain access to the higher-wage positions that oil wealth generates.

Gender-Based Violence as an Economic Barrier

Gender-based violence further restricts women’s economic participation. The OECD SIGI finds that 46% of women aged 15 to 49 have experienced intimate partner violence at some point in their lifetime, which is above the African regional average of 33%. In the past 12 months alone, 26% of women reported experiencing such violence, compared to a regional average of 17%.

Legal gaps reinforce the problem. Equatorial Guinea does not criminalize domestic violence, and its definition of rape does not rest on the absence of consent. These shortcomings leave many women without legal recourse and undermine their ability to remain safe, productive and economically active.

Agenda Igualdad: A Historic Turning Point

Significant progress is underway. In May 2024, Equatorial Guinea held its first-ever National Forum on Gender Equality, titled “Agenda Igualdad.” Prime Minister Manuela Roca Botey chaired the three-day forum, which the Ministry of Social Affairs and Gender Equality organized with United Nations support. Government officials, civil society organizations, women activists and UN representatives all participated, building a unified roadmap for change.

The forum produced the Djibloho Declaration, a concrete action plan committing the government to combating gender-based violence through education and improved data collection, protecting the rights of women with disabilities and strengthening women’s economic capacities in commerce. The declaration also calls for mainstreaming gender considerations into all national policies.

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) played a central role, reaffirming the U.N.’s commitment to gender equality initiatives in the country. Just weeks after the forum, UNFPA led a five-day training workshop that equipped public officials with gender-based violence case management and victim referral skills.

Closing the Data Gap

One of the Djibloho Declaration’s most consequential commitments involves improving gender data collection, a critical step toward closing the gender wage gap in Equatorial Guinea. The OECD SIGI notes that a lack of gender-disaggregated data on social norms and economic outcomes currently prevents a comprehensive understanding of women’s rights and opportunities in practice.

Better data enables better policy, and better policy means a more equitable economic future. With the Agenda Igualdad framework now in place and UNFPA, UNICEF and civil society organizations working alongside the government, real momentum exists to close the gender wage gap in Equatorial Guinea for good.

– Amanda Draznin

Amanda is based in Fairfax, VA, USA and focuses on Good News for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons

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Addressing the Gender Pay Gap in the Gambia

Gender Pay Gap in the GambiaThe Gambia is a small nation nestled in the vicinity of the much larger Senegal, and its population thrives along the banks of the Gambia River. The country faces multiple problems of inequality, with the gender pay gap in the Gambia remaining one of the most persistent challenges. According to the United Nations Population Fund, the wage gap between males and females was almost 65% in 2022, ranking amongst the lowest in Africa and the world.

Women earn approximately $700 less than men. This means there is a higher chance for women to be in poverty than men, especially since the COVID-19 restrictions. In Gambia, women tend to work in the informal sector. This can range from working in the hospitality and tourism sector in urban areas to the agricultural sector in rural areas, where they constitute 50% of the workforce.

What Is the Gambia Doing Right?

  1. The Gambia, despite struggling with poverty, keeps its unemployment rate quite low, and the rate is only 5.8% in comparison to 7.2% for men. This improvement has expanded economic opportunities for Gambian women and increased their access to income.
  2. Gambian women now hold almost 30% of managerial and middle-management positions, reflecting this progress, which is significantly higher than in countries with higher literacy rates, such as Egypt. This share continues to rise as Gambia relies less heavily on agriculture.
  3. Improvements to Gambia’s education sector have driven greater female employment, leading to a literacy rate of 50.8% amongst women, in comparison to men at only 41.6%. This includes women outperforming men in increasing their reading and mathematics proficiency.

Where Is the Gambia Struggling?

  1. Informal Sector: While Gambia has improved female employment rates, according to the LFS, in reality, about eight out of 10 women worked in the informal sector, which widened the gender pay gap because men dominated higher-paying white-collar jobs.
  2. Financial Sector: As the IMF noted, only 2% of women hold bank accounts in contrast to 8% of men. Gambian women have a low rate of financial literacy and use of financial services, including loans for businesses. Limited access to financial services has restricted women-led businesses and startups across the country.
  3. Government Sector: While local governments have improved female representation, the central government and parliament still persist in a massive imbalance. The underrepresentation of women in politics weakens efforts to implement policies that reduce the gender pay gap.
  4. Global Events: The COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine have widened gender pay gaps. These crises directly affected nine out of 10 working women in the informal sector, especially in the tourism sector. Agricultural uncertainty also prevents many women from achieving optimal productivity.
  5. Inflation: Rising living costs highlight gender inequality by forcing many women to remain financially dependent on men. This exposes the reality of the unequal divide between the genders, as living costs force women to remain dependent on men.

Solutions

In 2024, the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Welfare announced a 10-year plan to increase the pace of removing gender inequality, with the gender pay gap in Gambia being at the forefront of the plan. The government plans to implement the strategy between 2025-2034.

In 2025, the Ministry launched a popular program in partnership with the UNDP called the Gender Equality Seal for Public Institutions. The program focuses on improving educational opportunities and workplace equality. It connects public institutions to other similar establishments around the world and prepares them to improve their inclusivity and accessibility skills for women.

The Path Ahead

High fertility rates among young women, driven by low female school enrolment, keep many Gambian women out of the workforce and contribute to pay inequality. Improvements in education have helped reduce fertility rates among young women. 

There is a chance to reduce gender pay gaps by only provisioning better educational resources, such as the construction of new schools, and giving them access to basic school supplies. 

Similarly, child marriage has been a persistent issue in Gambian society, but a higher educational rate amongst girls and even boys has led to improvement in changing perspectives and an increasing rate of marriages after the age of 18.

This shows that there is a chance for tackling the gender pay gap in the Gambia if there are some basic provisions of education and opportunities for young girls.

– Tanay Ashok Sonthalia

Tanay is based in Melbourne, Australia and focuses on Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Pixabay

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Efforts To Close the Gender Wage Gap in Antigua and Barbuda

Gender Wage Gap in Antigua and BarbudaThe gender wage gap in Antigua and Barbuda affects economic opportunity for many women and families. Although the country has made significant progress in education and women’s participation in the workforce, challenges remain in ensuring equal access to higher-paying jobs and leadership positions. At the same time, government agencies and international organizations continue to invest in programs that strengthen women’s economic empowerment. These efforts help reduce poverty and create new pathways to financial independence across Antigua and Barbuda.

Limited data makes it difficult to measure the full extent of the gender wage gap in Antigua and Barbuda. According to UN Women, many gender-related labor indicators remain unavailable, highlighting the need for stronger data collection and analysis. As a result, researchers cannot calculate a comprehensive national gender wage gap figure. However, existing research suggests that women continue to face barriers in employment and income generation.

Unemployment and Poverty

A country gender assessment that the Caribbean Development Bank (CDB) conducted found that women often experience higher unemployment rates and remain unemployed for longer periods than men. The assessment also noted that women remain concentrated in certain sectors of the economy, which can limit earning potential and career advancement. These challenges can affect household income and increase financial vulnerability, particularly for women who serve as primary caregivers or heads of household. 

Economic inequality can contribute to poverty by reducing access to stable income, savings and business opportunities. When women earn less or face barriers to employment, families may have fewer resources for education and health care. Addressing these challenges can strengthen economic growth while improving living standards for communities throughout the country.

Promoting Gender Equality

The government addresses gender inequality through the Directorate of Gender Affairs. The agency promotes gender equality and the integration of gender considerations into national policies and programs.

The Directorate of Gender Affairs supports initiatives that encourage economic participation and leadership opportunities for women. Its work includes advocacy and partnerships with local and international organizations. By incorporating gender-responsive planning into development strategies, policymakers can help ensure that economic growth benefits women as well as men.

The government has strengthened institutional support for gender equality through collaboration with regional and international partners. These efforts create more inclusive opportunities in employment and entrepreneurship.

The Expansion of Entrepreneurship and Vocational Training

One promising solution to the gender wage gap in Antigua and Barbuda involves expanding entrepreneurship and vocational training opportunities for women. The Gilbert Agricultural and Rural Development Center (GARD Center) has played an important role in this effort through its Young Women’s Empowerment Project.

The European Union provided approximately $1.3 million to support the project, which targeted more than 200 vulnerable women ages 35 and younger. The initiative provided vocational training and business development support designed to increase participants’ earning potential.

The program produced measurable results. According to the GARD Center, 132 women completed vocational training while 88 women completed entrepreneurship training. Participants gained skills in information technology and other fields that can provide higher earning opportunities than traditional employment sectors for women.

The project also established a Business Development Unit (BDU) that helped participants develop business plans and connect with financing opportunities. By supporting entrepreneurship and workforce development, the initiative helped women build sustainable sources of income while strengthening local economic resilience.

Looking Ahead

The gender wage gap in Antigua and Barbuda remains an important development issue, but continued investment in women’s economic empowerment offers reasons for optimism. Government agencies and nonprofit organizations have expanded opportunities for education, workforce training and entrepreneurship. These initiatives help women strengthen their earning potential and contribute to economic growth.

As Antigua and Barbuda continues to improve gender data collection and strengthen economic inclusion programs, more women may gain access to higher-paying careers and business opportunities. These efforts can help reduce poverty and support long-term economic growth. By investing in women’s success, Antigua and Barbuda continues to build a more inclusive and prosperous future for all.

– Archie Monton-Black

Archie is based in Bedford, UK and focuses on Politics for The Borgen Project.

Photo: Flickr