Gender and Economic Empowerment in Africa: Evidence and Policy

Wekwete, Naomi N.

doi:10.1093/jae/ejt022

Cited by 48 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 16 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…[ 49 , 50 , 51 ]) that has demonstrated the inaccurate approximation of intra-household behaviour via the traditional unitary model [ 52 ]. For example, studies have shown that the relative bargaining power of women and men within a household largely depends on their relative access to, control over and utilisation of resources [ 24 ]. Such relative power may also directly influence agricultural productivity in a household through its effect on household members’ ability to allocate and organise productive resources optimally [ 53 , 54 ].…”

Section: Conceptual Model and Estimation Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Limited land ownership by female farmers hinders their access to formal credit, since land is a major form of collateral [ 22 ]. Other gender inequalities evident for women in Kenya’s agricultural sector include limited access to labour and agricultural markets [ 23 , 24 ] and less control over revenue from agricultural production than men [ 25 , 26 ]. In addition, women farmers in Kenya spend more time in care and domestic work than their male counterparts [ 2 , 24 ], which can limit their access to productive resources such as extension and advisory services [ 27 ] and participation in income-generating activities [ 24 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Reducing gender inequality is widely recognised around the world as contributing to agricultural growth and the attainment of food and nutritional security [ 1 , 5 ]. More specifically, many international development programmes, such as the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Feed the Future initiative, which also operates in Kenya, perceive women’s empowerment as a key factor in closing gender gaps in agricultural productivity [ 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 24 , 6 ]. Research has also shown that empowering women can lead to improvements in their status both inside and outside the household—including greater control over household resources; better mental health; reduced time constraints; and increased access to financial services, health care, skills development, income-earning opportunities, information about markets and legal rights—all of which may, in turn, positively impact agricultural productivity, nutrition and food security [ 6 , 32 , 33 , 34 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Women’s empowerment in agriculture and agricultural productivity: Evidence from rural maize farmer households in western Kenya

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper documents a positive relationship between maize productivity in western Kenya and women’s empowerment in agriculture, measured using indicators derived from the abbreviated version of the Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index. Applying a cross-sectional instrumental-variable regression method to a data set of 707 maize farm households from western Kenya, we find that women’s empowerment in agriculture significantly increases maize productivity. Although all indicators of women’s empowerment significantly increase productivity, there is no significant association between the women’s workload (amount of time spent working) and maize productivity. Furthermore, the results show heterogenous effects with respect to women’s empowerment on maize productivity for farm plots managed jointly by a male and female and plots managed individually by only a male or female. More specifically, the results suggest that female- and male-managed plots experience significant improvements in productivity when the women who tend them are empowered. These findings provide evidence that women’s empowerment contributes not only to reducing the gender gap in agricultural productivity, but also to improving, specifically, productivity from farms managed by women. Thus, rural development interventions in Kenya that aim to increase agricultural productivity—and, by extension, improve food security and reduce poverty—could achieve greater impact by integrating women’s empowerment into existing and future projects.

show abstract

Section: Conceptual Model and Estimation Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Women’s empowerment in agriculture and agricultural productivity: Evidence from rural maize farmer households in western Kenya

et al. 2018

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The young women in this region would appear to reconcile the competing claims of work and family on their time by working more in household agricultural or non-farm activities or casual wage work (Kabeer 2012). Expanding women's opportunities for full and productive paid employment and improving their access to education/adult literacy programs have been identified as some of the key strategies to increase women's economic empowerment in Africa (Wekwete 2014, andKabeer 2012), which in turn carries many other benefits.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Gender gaps in the path to adulthood for young females and males in six African countries from the 1990s to the 2010s

Mariara

McKay

Newell

et al. 2018

IZA J Develop Migration

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In this paper, we study on a comparative basis the school-to-work transition of young women and young men in six countries in sub-Saharan Africa, and we examine how this has evolved over recent years, based on the data collected by Demographic and Health Surveys. We examine educational attainments and the nature of early jobs young people are able to obtain, as well as considering their relationship to marriage and fertility outcomes, factors which are likely to be particularly relevant for young women. A pooled regression analysis shows that educational levels have increased substantially and gender gaps have narrowed in most countries. Access to better jobs has improved much more slowly with unchanging gender gaps in most countries, so that agriculture is still the dominant sector of employment for most young men and women. We model correlates of key educational outcomes and access to different types of jobs those controlling for individual-and household-level characteristics, including marital status, presence of children and wealth. Attaining a high level of education is unsurprisingly critical for access to the best jobs and is also associated with young women delaying marriage and childbearing.JEL Classification: I21, J21, J24, 055

show abstract

“…The hazard moral reveals the choice done by female entrepreneur. Their choice is based on the family's vital needs where the priority is given to the well being of their children (Damiano and Mwakubo 2014;Wekwete 2014).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Macroeconomics Implications of Female Entrepreneurs Facing Financial Frictions to Access to Credit: A DSGE Model Approach in Cameroon

Babilla¹,

Kendo²,

Eloundou³

et al. 2016

SSRN Journal

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This research assesses the effects of financial frictions faced by female entrepreneurs on macroeconomics performances in Cameroon. We address this important issue, using a Dynamic Stochastic General Equilibrium model with financial micro-foundations. The model features two sectors such as, a production sector dominated by female entrepreneurs and a production sector dominated by male entrepreneurs. Financial frictions appear because entrepreneurs face collateral constraint when borrowing from the banking sector. The steady state and the calibration analysis demonstrate that the female sector is labor-intensive whereas male sector is capital intensive. But, when female sector are granted loans as much as the male sector, it performs better in term of value-added in GDP. The benchmark analysis reveals the complementary role of both sectors in sustaining economy activity when the conjuncture slumps. The Scenarios analysis emphasizes the expansionary effect of the loosening financial constraint, with female entrepreneurs acting as main driver of the economy activity. Thus, institutional frameworks that relax collateral constraints, grant exemptions for enormous requirements, enforce properties right law, and promote transparency and credit-information sharing can make big inroads in alleviating borrowing constraints, increasing financial inclusion and enhancing macroeconomic outcomes. JEL Classification: C11, C61, D21, E32, E44, O11  A National Agency which plays a role of collateral and guarantees female entrepreneurs debt contract besides the banking sector, can help to alleviate frictions in the credit market and enhance female entrepreneurship.  Law enforceability is needed to guarantee equal right between men and female regarding family properties, such as, land, real estate or shares, in other to allow female entrepreneurs which owned them to directly use them as collaterals without the permission of family elders, husband or properties administrator.  The Central Africa Banking Commission (COBAC), should enforces its law regarding the lending rates and adopt new strategy that relax collateral constraints, in other to avoid the banking sector implicitly discriminating between both type of entrepreneurs.  Cameroonian authority can adopt a National Policy of Financing Female Entrepreneurship, by issuing public bonds or securities with end of collecting financings from citizens and directly finance female entrepreneurs projects. This policy will allow national authority to better regulate the sector, enhance fiscal revenue, play the role of collateral between the lenders (citizens) and borrowers (female entrepreneurs), and fostering female entrepreneurship for job creation and inclusive economic growth. National authority should promote financial inclusion by reducing the cost of banking intermediation via the introduction of credit reporting system, granting exemptions for enormous requirements during the financial contract, and establishing more transparency and credit-information sharing.

show abstract

Gender and Economic Empowerment in Africa: Evidence and Policy

Cited by 48 publications

References 16 publications

Women’s empowerment in agriculture and agricultural productivity: Evidence from rural maize farmer households in western Kenya

Women’s empowerment in agriculture and agricultural productivity: Evidence from rural maize farmer households in western Kenya

Gender gaps in the path to adulthood for young females and males in six African countries from the 1990s to the 2010s

Macroeconomics Implications of Female Entrepreneurs Facing Financial Frictions to Access to Credit: A DSGE Model Approach in Cameroon

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About