Ghana scores high in study of gender in labour markets

A World Bank study titled Gender Disparities in Africa’s Labour Market,has shown that Ghana is among countries in Africa with a high percentage of women participating in the labour market. Ghana is rated as one of the countries having recorded 80% and above participation of women in the labour force.
Furthermore, Ghana is cited by the study as having the highest ratio of average female-to-male weekly labour income of 79 percent. The lowest ratio is 23 percent in Burkina Faso.
The study which has been published in a book, said that gender disparities were still a concern in Africa’s labour market.
Ewa Filipiak, project manager at Agence Française de Développement, and co-editor of the book is quoted as saying that “…women’s access to jobs is essential to the fight against poverty and reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), not just because of the direct contribution gainfully employed women make to the household, but also because it has been shown that well-paid jobs empower them to redirect spending on essential needs, notably in favor of children’s health and education.”
The study analysis household survey data collected in the early 2000 households in 18 countries across Africa, looking into gender dimensions in employment, unemployment, pay gap, as well as the role of educational attainment.
The countries studies are Burkina Faso, Burundi, Côte d Ivoire, Cameroon, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritania, Mozambique, Nigeria, São Tomé and Príncipe, Sierra Leone, Uganda, and Zambia.
http://www.ghanabusinessnews.com/2010/11/03/ghana-scores-high-in-study-of-gender-in-labour-markets/