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Gender and Growth Gaps in Sub-Saharan Africa – Research and Policy Dialogue

The African Center for Economic Transformation (ACET), the Economic Growth Center (EGC), and Inclusion Economics at Yale University, in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, plan to hold an in-person research and policy workshop on June 13, 2024, that spotlights current policy needs and research insights on the drivers and consequences of gender gaps in the economy in twenty-first century sub-Saharan Africa.

Event details

Event description

Progress on gender equality amidst structural transformation has been remarkably uneven around the world. Gender gaps in labor force participation are small in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), and yet gender gaps in wages are very large in the region. Across SSA, women are overrepresented in informal employment, with 90% of women employed informally compared to 84% of men; excluding agriculture the figures for SSA are 82% of women in informal employment compared to 73% of men. As the youngest region, sub-Saharan Africa also faces significant challenges in enabling its young women to pursue opportunities for human capital development and career advancement alongside their male peers. Shocks such as Covid-19 and climate breakdowns have also imposed a heavy cost on the region, with gendered implications. 

The Yale Economic Growth Center (EGC) and Yale Inclusion Economics (YIE) are partnering with the African Center for Economic Transformation (ACET) to conduct a one-day in-person policy dialogue that will explore research-based directions for policy and practice on reducing gender gaps in a variety of labor market indicators and improving talent allocation in sub-Saharan Africa as countries embark on diverse growth strategies. The event will draw both on ACET’s forthcoming gender inequality-focused 2024 African Transformation Report (ATR), and on EGC and YIE’s ongoing research under the Gender and Growth Gaps project.

Objectives and themes

With this event, we aim to elicit strong evidence-based and action-focused engagement from a variety of researchers, policymakers, and practitioners in the following areas in order to refine research questions, understand policy priorities, and advance research and policy action towards closure of key gaps in the region:

  • Macroeconomic Growth Strategies and Gender Gaps in Key Labor Market Indicators 
  • Gender & Power: From the Household to Institutional Structures 
  • The Rise of the Digital Economy 

We will also address the following themes in breakout sessions:

  • Gender & Climate Adaptation Challenges
  • Measurement of Gender Gaps, Norms, and Economic Agency 
  • Gender, Youth, and Jobs in a Digital Age

The list of speakers and panelists at the workshop will include: Hon. Williametta Saydee-Tarr (former Minister of Gender, Children & Social Protection, Government of Liberia), Mavis Owusu-Gyamfi (ACET), Aishwarya Lakshmi Ratan (Yale EGC), Fayudatu Yakubu (Lively Minds), Elvis Korku Avenyo (University of Johannesburg), Iyabo Olanrele (Nigerian Institute of Social and Economic Research), Bola Akanji (ACET and Quinnipiac University), Maria José Moreno Ruiz (African Development Bank Group), Gifty Volimkarime (Centre for Entrepreneurship and Evaluation Development, Ghana), Gaurav Chiplunkar (University of Virginia, virtual), Odile Mackett (Wits School of Governance, virtual), Orazio Attanasio (Yale University, virtual), among others. 

If you have any questions about the event, please contact Jonathan Bower, Senior Research Manager at EGC, at jonathan.bower@yale.edu

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