The second edition of the Africa Gender Index (AGI) analytical report, titled “African Women in Times of Crisis”, and drafted by Agulhas, reflects on a tumultuous period. Marked by the lingering impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, rising food insecurity, global economic turbulence, and climate change, these crises disproportionately affect women and girls, putting strides made toward gender equality at risk. Yet there is room for cautious optimism, and the report takes an evidence-based approach to suggesting actionable recommendations for policymakers, to support the acceleration of gender equality and making the most of hard-won progress.
In a world grappling with complex crises, the quest for gender equality in Africa remains an uphill battle. The 2023 AGI is a comprehensive, data-driven resource, shedding light on the progress and challenges African women face across economic, social, and empowerment dimensions. Covering all 54 African countries, the AGI provides a detailed account of how women are faring in these areas, relative to men, enabling nations to track their progress over time and compare their performance with regional peers.
Measuring gender equality in the AGI
The AGI evaluates gender equality across three dimensions, which each consists of a series of indicators, drawing on data from national statistical institutes. These are:
- Economic and business, examining gender disparities in labour force participation, wages, and access to resources.
- Social, focusing on education and health outcomes.
- Empowerment and representation, measuring the participation of men and women in political, governmental, and business decision-making processes.
For each indicator, data is collected for both women and men, and an index score is generated on a scale of 0 to 1 (also represented in the report as a percentage), where a score of 1 (100%) indicates perfect gender equality. A score below 1 shows gender inequality working against women, and a score above 1 shows gender inequality working against men.
The AGI also considers women-specific indicators like maternal mortality and gender-based violence, although these do not contribute to the overall index or dimension score.
Progress, but with caveats
Between 2019 and 2023, Africa’s overall gender index score improved from 48.6% to 50.3%. While this marks progress, it also highlights a sobering reality: women on the continent still experience half the economic, social and representation opportunities available to men. The data below, framed under each dimension, underscores an urgent need to bridge this gap.
- Economic participation: Women’s economic opportunities have declined, with the score falling to 58.2% in 2023, from 61.0% in 2019. Economic stress, compounded by traditional gender roles and limited access to resources, has disproportionately impacted women.
- Social equality: A bright spot, the social dimension score rose to 98.3%, driven largely by improvements in girls’ access to education. However, barriers such as early marriage, teenage pregnancy, and inadequate menstrual hygiene facilities persist and have likely worsened in light of recent global crises, such as COVID-19 and conflict.
- Empowerment and representation: Incremental progress is evident in women’s representation in politics and leadership, but the 2023 score of 24.4% remains low.
Unequal impact of crises
Crises hit women and girls harder, exacerbating existing inequalities. For instance, the COVID-19 pandemic disproportionately disrupted girls’ education, with many dropping out permanently due to economic pressures or early pregnancies and marriages. Similarly, rising food insecurity and economic challenges have forced women into vulnerable employment, perpetuating existing cycles of poverty, inequality and fragile economic security.
Geographical disparities are also stark and varied across the index. Namibia leads with an overall AGI score of 88.3%, while countries like Guinea-Bissau’s and Libya’s overall AGI scores lag at just 30.9%. Notably, conflict and instability play a significant role in pulling scores down, with the 14 countries that scored below 40% having experienced protracted conflict and instability.
What needs to change?
The AGI highlights actionable recommendations for policymakers to accelerate gender equality. These include:
- Breaking barriers in the workforce: Address legal and informal restrictions on women’s participation in certain sectors and provide targeted support to improve their access to financial services and agricultural resources.
- Tackling time poverty: Expand access to clean water, affordable energy, and other infrastructure services to reduce the disproportionate domestic burden on women.
- Addressing education barriers: Develop programs to re-integrate out-of-school girls and support young mothers in continuing their education. Policy makers should also recognise gender-specific barriers to boys’ education and commission analysis to inform potential policy responses.
- Fighting gender-based violence: Prioritise shelters and survivor services and embed gender-sensitive approaches in policies addressing crises, like food insecurity and climate change.
- Boosting political representation: Strengthen the enforcement of gender quotas at all levels of government to ensure meaningful participation.
- Enhancing reproductive health: Educate adolescent girls on HIV prevention and expand access to contraceptives to improve health outcomes.
- Responding to shocks and crises: Incorporate gender considerations into national policy responses to mitigate the impact on women and facilitate their contribution to building national resilience.
- Bridging the data gap: Review national statistical institutes from a gender lens to identify hidden biases and improve the generation of gender data.
A call to action
The 2023 Africa Gender Index is a powerful reminder that progress is possible. The report pulls out stories of government policies and development programmes that have had positive impacts on women and girls in communities and countries. There is a wealth of knowledge to be drawn upon, and lessons to be learned regionally. However, progress towards gender equality requires collective and sustained effort, especially in the face of global instability. From policymakers to grassroots organisations, every stakeholder has a role to play in ensuring that African women and girls are not left behind, even in the face of adversity.
The journey to gender equality remains long, but data from the AGI provides a roadmap. With targeted action, Africa can continue to build a future where women and men enjoy equal opportunities, even in the most challenging of times.
