How much of the labor in African agriculture is provided by women?

Amparo Palacios-Lopez, Luc Christiaensen and Talip Kilic

Food Policy, 2017, vol. 67, issue C, 52-63

Abstract: The contribution of women to labor in African agriculture is regularly quoted in the range of 60–80%. Using individual, plot-level labor input data from nationally representative household surveys across six Sub-Saharan African countries, this study estimates the average female labor share in crop production at 40%. It is slightly above 50% in Malawi, Tanzania, and Uganda, and substantially lower in Nigeria (37%), Ethiopia (29%), and Niger (24%). There are no systematic differences across crops and activities, but female labor shares tend to be higher in households where women own a larger share of the land and when they are more educated. Controlling for the gender and knowledge profile of the respondents does not meaningfully change the predicted female labor shares. The findings question prevailing assertions regarding substantial gains in aggregate crop output as a result of increasing female agricultural productivity.

Keywords: Gender; Labor; Agriculture; Sub-Saharan Africa (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: J16 J22 O13 Q12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (52)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:jfpoli:v:67:y:2017:i:c:p:52-63

DOI: 10.1016/j.foodpol.2016.09.017

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