The barriers women face before they get a job
A new study by the Economic Policy Research Centre (EPRC), supported by UN Women, suggests that the missing piece is not simply more jobs, but addressing the invisible barriers, including unpaid care work, unequal access to education, restrictive social norms and limited opportunities that continue to shape women's economic lives long before they enter the workforce.
Globally, 45% of working-age women (708 million women) are outside the labour market because of unpaid care responsibilities, compared with just 5% of men. (File photo)
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For more than three decades, Uganda has introduced policies aimed at helping women enter school, start businesses, acquire vocational skills and compete in the labour market. More girls are completing school than ever before. Thousands of women have received government loans, business training and university opportunities. Yet for many, the promise of economic empowerment still ends in low-paid work, informal businesses or unpaid family labour.
A new study by the Economic Policy Research Centre (EPRC), supported by UN Women, suggests that the missing piece is not simply more jobs, but addressing the invisible barriers, including unpaid care work, unequal access to education, restrictive social norms and limited opportunities that continue to shape women's economic lives long before they enter the workforce.
The findings suggest that solving Uganda's employment challenge requires more than creating jobs. It also requires reducing the unpaid responsibilities that prevent many women from taking up those opportunities in the first place.
Suzan Khainza Rutakingingirwa, an engineer, weighs in. “I would say there’s still quite a lot of bias that women face from potential employers; the erroneous thought that men generally do a better job than women, especially for technical roles is still rampant and as such, women often have to prove themselves over and beyond their male counterparts with the same qualifications.”
Women spend significantly more time than men on domestic chores and caregiving responsibilities, leaving fewer hours for paid employment, vocational training or running businesses. The report notes that these responsibilities influence not only whether women work, but also the type of work they are able to accept. Many opt for flexible, home-based or self-employed activities because they can be combined with childcare and household duties, even when those jobs pay less and offer little security.
This helps explain why women remain heavily concentrated in subsistence farming, informal trade and other vulnerable forms of employment despite years of economic growth.
The burden is especially visible among young women.
Rutakingingirwa agrees with the report, saying family can also act as a barrier.
“Another barrier is family (husband and children). Women often pass up on some roles because they are considered the primary homemakers and taking up these roles would upset their family dynamics. But even in instances where they are willing to take up these roles, employers are sometimes not willing to take the risk.”
The document states: “Recognising, reducing and redistributing unpaid care work is fundamental for women’s time, choice and opportunities for education, decent employment, leadership, and public life.”
Furthermore, it notes that women and girls spend 2.5 times more hours per day on unpaid care work than men.
“Globally, 45% of working-age women (708 million women) are outside the labour market because of unpaid care responsibilities, compared with just 5% of men.”
Yet the EPRC report notes that previous research estimates Uganda could increase its gross domestic product by as much as 15% if women's economic potential were fully realised.