Gender, Poverty, and Nonfarm Employment in Ghana and Uganda

52 Pages Posted: 20 Apr 2016

See all articles by Constance Newman

Constance Newman

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) – Economic Research Service (ERS)

Sudharshan Canagarajah

World Bank - Poverty Reduction and Economic Management (PREM); Europe and Central Asia Region

Date Written: June 2000

Abstract

For women in Ghana and Uganda, nonfarm activities play an important role in yielding the lowest - and the most rapidly declining - rural poverty rates. In both countries rural poverty declined fastest for female heads of household engaged in nonfarm work (which tended to be a secondary activity). But patterns vary between the two countries.

Newman and Canagarajah provide evidence that women's nonfarm activities help reduce poverty in two economically and culturally different countries, Ghana and Uganda.

In both countries rural poverty rates were lowest - and fell most rapidly - for female heads of household engaged in nonfarm activities. Participation in nonfarm activities increased more rapidly for women, especially married women and female heads of household, than for men. Women were more likely than men to combine agriculture and nonfarm activities. In Ghana it was nonfarm activities (for which income data are available) that provided the highest average incomes and the highest shares of income.

Bivariate probit analysis of participation shows that in Uganda female heads of household and in Ghana women in general are significantly more likely than men to participate in nonfarm activities and less likely to participate in agriculture.

This paper - a joint product of Rural Development, Development Research Group, and the Social Protection Team, Human Development Network - is part of a larger effort in the Bank to discuss gender, employment, and poverty linkages. The authors may be contacted at cnewman1@worldbank.org or scanagarajah@worldbank.org.

Suggested Citation

Newman, Constance and Canagarajah, R. Sudharshan and Canagarajah, R. Sudharshan, Gender, Poverty, and Nonfarm Employment in Ghana and Uganda (June 2000). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=630739

Constance Newman

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) – Economic Research Service (ERS) ( email )

355 E Street, SW
Washington, DC 20024-3221
United States
(202) 694-5598 (Phone)

R. Sudharshan Canagarajah (Contact Author)

Europe and Central Asia Region ( email )

1818 H Street, NW
Washington, DC 20433
United States
202 473 4458 (Phone)
202 614 0912 (Fax)

World Bank - Poverty Reduction and Economic Management (PREM) ( email )

Washington, DC 20433
United States

Do you have negative results from your research you’d like to share?

Paper statistics

Downloads
263
Abstract Views
2,062
Rank
211,621
PlumX Metrics