Women around the world face barriers to participating in the labour force, especially in traditionally male-dominated sectors. Addressing these barriers in low-income countries can improve both women’s well-being and the countries’ entire economies. This blog, by the Urban Institute, looks at qualitative studies of women’s labour force participation and upward mobility, focusing on studies of the higher-productivity, male-dominated sectors of commercial agriculture, mining, and trade from 18 low-income countries, mostly those in sub-Saharan Africa, but also in East Asia, South Asia, and Latin America.
