#BreakTheBias
Women in Africa: Cultural Expectations & Gender Inequality
Empowering African women and girls is essential to creating dynamic markets that drive transformation and accelerate the demographic transition. This year’s International Women’s Day theme, #BreakTheBias, highlights the importance of challenging biases and misconceptions in the interest of creating a more inclusive and gender-equal world. Similar to other parts of the world, Africa’s women and girls face biases and stereotypes that come in many different forms, and which tend to be easily overlooked. Discriminatory cultural practices, expectations, and gender roles continue to surpass women and girls’ rights and hinder their true potential on the continent.
Through a panel discussion bringing together African women from different backgrounds and at different stages of their professional journeys, we will begin to examine how we can challenge cultural and societal biases in order to tackle wage and income inequality between men and women, education access for girls and economic inclusion for women. Join us as we look at how culture, which plays a significant role in development when thinking of how to create a more inclusive world, can be leveraged to maximize the full potential of African women and girls.