Millions of Women and Young Girls Denied Jobs and Education as ITUC-Africa Demands Urgent Action

ITUC-Africa warns that Africa’s care crisis is restricting women’s access to jobs, education and economic opportunities, as women perform more than three times as many hours of unpaid care work as men. The organisation says more than one-third of African women outside the labour force are excluded from employment because of care responsibilities, compared with fewer than one in twenty men. In rural West Africa, young women perform four times as many hours of unpaid care work as young men. General Secretary Akhator Joel Odigie urged African governments, the African Union and regional economic communities to invest in sustainable care systems and recognise, reduce and redistribute care responsibilities.