Improving working conditions for women in African industrial parks

Gender Inequality

In Sub-Saharan Africa, as well as in other poor regions,
fewer women than men are engaged in industrial jobs.1
This implies a potential for more female jobs as women
traditionally take on jobs in labour intensive industries.
Manufacturing employment tripled between 2000 and
2018 in 18 countries covering 64% of the Sub-Saharan
African population, albeit from a low starting point.2
This led to an increase in the share of employment in
manufacturing from 7.2% to 8.4%. Yet there is a concern
that manufacturing is becoming more capital intensive
and will thus contribute less to creation of jobs. Still,
they argue that the garment sector has potential for
employment growth.

Industrial Development

A popular policy to generate employment has been
industrial parks, with large amounts of foreign aid
invested to stimulate industry development and attract
foreign manufacturing companies. The World Bank,
provided US$425 million for the development of two of
the newest parks in Ethiopia, and across Africa, 37 out
of 54 countries have industrial parks.3 Several industrial
parks are focussed on textile and garment industries,
where the majority of workers are often female. In
Ethiopia, 9 out of 10 operational parks produce textiles,
garment and shoes. A survey of industrial parks in
30 African countries found that more than a third of
factories’ workforces were women4 – a larger share of
women workers as compared to the national average even
in countries with very low female labour participation.
However poor working conditions and labour restrictions
are pushing many women away from working in these
parks.

Key Findings

• The income from factory work for women
contributes to poverty reduction
• Female factory jobs in industrial parks in
Ethiopia do not empower women when it comes
to political efficacy and participation
• Female factory jobs have no effect on women’s
ability to resist intimate partner violence
• The harsh working conditions and managers’
lack of respect for workers contribute to
disempowerment and high turnover.