Clarisse Kawera/ActionAid Rwanda
By Wanjiru Mburu and Johanna Diness
Globally, women are in the lowest-paid jobs, earning 24 percent less than men. At current rates of progress, it will take 170 years to close this gap. One of the main reasons for this is the lack of decent, secure jobs and the amount of women forced to work in the informal economy.
Women are less likely to have employment contracts, legal rights or social protection, and are often not paid enough to escape poverty. On average women spend over four hours doing unpaid care work each day, while for men this is less than one and a half hours. These extra working hours limit the time that women have to find decent work, claim their rights or pursue their interests.