Despite 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