Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) has urged African states to repeal legislation that discriminate against women
Africa must start taking sound actions to ensure that women’s rights to employment are secured and protected to enhance their prospects in the world of working women, according to ECA’s Deputy Executive Secretary Giovanie Biha during the Africa Ministerial Pre-Consultative Meeting on the 61st Commission on the Status of Women (CSW 61st) on the theme “Women’s economic empowerment in the changing world of work” in Addis Ababa yesterday.
“Investment in women’s secondary, tertiary and higher level education as well as vocational training, with particular attention paid to their access and achievement in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEMs) is important,” she told delegates.
She further stressed that the need for African governments to enforce the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against women (CEDAW) and the African Charter on the Rights of People by removing all discriminatory national laws.
“African governments need to respond to women and girls’ burden of unpaid care work by implementing the triple R strategy of Recognition through measurement, Reduction by investing in social infrastructure and services, and Redistribution by encouraging a fairer intra-household allocation,” she added.
A majority of African women which is more than 70% are in informal employment, characterized by precariousness, endemic low pay and difficult working conditions according to ECA.
“It is also timely that we are discussing women’s economic empowerment in the changing world of work, given that the African Union’s theme for this year is on the demographic dividend. The two themes are closely interlinked. In the changing world of work, women in Africa are the most affected as they are already disadvantaged,” said Ms. Dlamini-Zuma, adding it is time for serious action to be taken to address issues affecting women and girls, especially in the rural areas of Africa.
