Published on Data Blog (/opendata)

The next steps for employment equality in

Ethiopia
MAEREG TEWOLDEBIRHAN ALEMAYEHU (/TEAM/MAEREG-TEWOLDEBIRHAN-ALEMAYEHU) & GLORIA KUOH (/TEAM/GLORIA-
KUOH) | MAY 21, 2019

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English

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Nebiba Mohammed, 28, works at the Shints textile factory, one of several textile manufacturing plants in Ethiopia's recently opened Bole Lemi indust
Gladieu/World Bank
This blog is a part of a series using data from the Women, Business and the Law (http://wbl.worldbank.org/) project. The data explores
legal and regulatory challenges faced by women through different stages of their working lives. Launched in February 2019,
Women, Business and the Law 2019: A Decade of Reform (http://wbl.worldbank.org/) analyses data for eight indicators over the past
decade for 187 economies.
 
When I was in Ethiopia, my friend Alem worked for a paper products factory in Addis Ababa. From time
to time, she would share workplace stories and ask me for legal advice. One of her most memorable
stories occurred four years ago when Alem’s company asked her to fill in for the supervisor who had just
resigned. Though she was not adequately paid for the increased workload, Alem happily performed the
job hoping to get promoted. But after working as an interim supervisor for almost two years, the
company promoted a less qualified man and requested she continue working as an assistant. Puzzled, I
asked her why, and she replied “It is because I am a woman.”

Like Alem, women across the world still struggle to perform jobs of their choice and to obtain just
compensation for them. Yet, achieving gender equality has become a priority for economies worldwide.
According to the Women, Business and the Law 2019: A Decade of Reform
(http://wbl.worldbank.org/en/reports), 131 economies around the world collectively made 274 reforms to
afford women the same opportunities men have.

Ethiopia has also made progress. In 2018, Ethiopia made headlines when it appointed its first woman
President, established a 50% female cabinet that includes a female Minister of Defense, and appointed
the first female Chief Justice. These efforts are commendable but there are still legal barriers that
constrain women’s economic empowerment.

Women, Business and the Law (http://wbl.worldbank.org/en/data/exploreeconomies/ethiopia/2018) data

show that of the eight indicators measured, Ethiopia performs well on Going Places, Starting a Job and
Managing Assets. However, there is some room for improvement on the Getting Paid indicator, which
measures laws affecting women’s choice of jobs. Here, Ethiopia lost points because it restricts women
from working in certain jobs that men are allowed to work in. For instance, women are specifically
prohibited from working in jobs that require mixing, filling, packaging and spraying of pesticides and
anti-weeds. Women are also prohibited from working in mining, underground drilling operations, and in
industries requiring continuous carrying, moving and lifting of weights over 15 kg. Such measures may
be designed to protect women workers, but they also prohibit them from getting the jobs of their choice.
Protections should apply to all workers, regardless of their gender.

Many economies have reformed their laws to allow men and women to perform the same jobs. Zambia
is one such reformer. In 2015
(http://www.parliament.gov.zm/sites/default/files/documents/acts/The%20Gender%20Equity%20and%20Eq
it removed restrictions that prohibited women from working in jobs deemed arduous or harmful. This
reform expanded women’s job opportunities and made it possible for them to potentially get higher
paying employment. A similar reform to Ethiopia’s labor law would not only benefit women, but also
firms and the economy’s overall competitiveness, by providing a bigger pool of qualified candidates.

How do Sub-Saharan African countries perform on legislation matters

 p g
related to gender equality in employment opportunities?
Each stack represents an existing legislation supporting equal rights for women and men,  WBL 2018.
Women can work the same night hours as men
Women can work in jobs deemed hazardous, arduous or morally inappropriate in the same way as men
Women are able to work in the same industries as men The law mandates equal remuneration for work of equal value

Comoros
Equatorial Guinea
Guinea
Kenya
Lesotho

Liberia
Malawi
Mauritius

Namibia
South Africa

Tanzania

Togo
Uganda

Zambia
Botswana

Burundi
Cabo Verde

Eritrea
Eswatini

Gabon
Gambia, The

Ghana
Nigeria
Rwanda
Seychelles

Sierra Leone
Zimbabwe
Angola
Benin

Chad
Côte d'Ivoire
Niger

Burkina Faso
Cameroon
Central African Republic
Congo, Dem. Rep.

Congo, Rep.
Ethiopia
Madagascar
Mali

Mauritania
Mozambique
Senegal

Guinea-Bissau
São Tomé and Príncipe
South Sudan
Sudan

Source:
Women, Business and the Law database

Additionally, Ethiopian law does not mandate equal remuneration for work of equal value. The Ethiopian
Constitution guarantees equal pay for men and women. But under the International Labour
Organization’s Equal Remuneration Convention (https://www.ilo.org/dyn/normlex/en/f?
p=NORMLEXPUB:12100:0::NO::P12100_ILO_CODE:C100), equal remuneration means more than just
equal pay. It also includes benefits provided as part of an employee’s total compensation package.
Further, work of equal value not only refers to the same or similar jobs, but also to different jobs of the
same value. When Ethiopian men and women perform work that is different in content but is of overall
equal value, they should receive equal remuneration.

Discriminatory laws keep women out of the labor force by limiting their career opportunities and
earning potential. The appointment of Ethiopian women to high level political positions is important.
Reforming the law to allow women to take up the jobs of their choice is one way to solidify the
considerable progress made towards greater gender equality in Ethiopia.

GENDER (/SEARCH?F[0]=TOPIC:295&F[1]=LANGUAGE:EN), ETHIOPIA (/SEARCH?F[0]=COUNTRIES:98&F[1]=LANGUAGE:EN), AFRICA (/SEARCH?

F[0]=REGIONS:655&F[1]=LANGUAGE:EN)

Authors
 
(/team/maereg-tewoldebirhan-alemayehu)
(/team/maereg-tewoldebirhan-alemayehu)

Maereg Tewoldebirhan Alemayehu (/team/maereg-tewoldebirhan-alemayehu)

Consultant, Women, Business and the Law

MORE BLOGS BY MAEREG TEWOLDEBIRHAN (/TEAM/MAEREG-TEWOLDEBIRHAN-ALEMAYEHU)


(/team/gloria-kuoh)
(/team/gloria-kuoh)

Gloria Kuoh (/team/gloria-kuoh)

Consultant, World Bank

MORE BLOGS BY GLORIA (/TEAM/GLORIA-KUOH)

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