Nigeria plunges to 133rd on Gender Index as women shrink in economy, politics

Opportunities are shrinking for Nigerian women in terms of participation in politics, attainment of educational heights, health and survival, according to the World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Gender Gap Index.

The WEF has ranked the country 133rd out of 149th for achieving gender parity.
Nigeria failed to make the top 10 list of African nations on the index and fell from the 94th position in 2006 to score 0.621 as Rwanda at the 19th position led the Sub-Saharan region with 0.804, Namibia 0.789, South Africa 0.755 and Uganda 0.724. Burundi scored 0.741, Zimbabwe 0.721, Mozambique 0.721, Botswana 0.715, Cameroon 0.714 and Tanzania 0.704.
The Forum however expressed worry that the sub-Saharan region gender gap has begun to widen again, despite recording progress for six consecutive years.

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Under economic participation, Nigerian women participation in the labour force was 50.3 percent compared to 59.9 percent for men. Also compared to men, women estimated earned income is at $4,602 less than $7, 081. Unlike 61.3 percent literacy rate recorded among Nigerian men, education among women is still lower at 41.4 percent.

In politics, the figures are devastatingly low with women in ministerial positions only 12 percent, overwhelmed by 88 percent male dominance.

Global gender gap marginally contracted in 2018, although proportionately fewer women than men participated in the labour force and political life, the report stated, estimating that the gap will generally require 108 years to bridge while economic parity will take 202 years to achieve considering the slow pace of progress in global adjustment.

According to the report, the world has closed 68 percent of its gender gap. It hinged the narrowing in economic opportunity on a shrinking income gap between men and women, which stands at nearly 51 percent in 2018, and the number of women in leadership roles, 34 percent globally.

Data also suggest that proportionately fewer women than men are participating in the workforce.

The report suggests that the worrisome development could be due to automation’s disproportionate impact on roles traditionally performed by women.

It noted also that women are under-represented in growing areas of employment that require science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM ), skills and knowledge.
Another factor highlighted is that the infrastructure needed to help women enter or re-enter the workforce such as childcare and eldercare remain under-developed and unpaid work remains primarily the responsibility of women.

The upshot is that the substantial investments made by many economies to close the education gap are failing to generate optimal returns in the form of growth.

“The economies that will succeed in the Fourth Industrial Revolution will be those that are best able to harness all their available talent. Proactive measures that support gender parity and social inclusion and address historical imbalances are therefore essential for the health of the global economy as well as for the good of society as a whole,” said Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum.

Temitayo Ayetoto