In South Asia, only one third of women are part of the workforce, and in the Middle East and North Africa, that figure falls to one fifth. Deeply rooted gender norms continue to link family honour to women staying at home, where their movements can be more closely controlled.  

In some cases, these beliefs have been so entrenched and normalised that even when practical barriers that might limit women from working are removed, the weight of tradition presides. In Egypt, a study offered married mothers free or heavily subsidised childcare nearby to make it easier for them to seek work, but only 11% took up the opportunity; many lived with husbands who saw working outside the home as inappropriate. Such beliefs are also reinforced by the normalisation of violence. In India, 40% of women believe a husband can be justified in beating his wife, while in Mali that figure rises to 70%. 

The economic and social consequences of these norms are significant. The World Bank estimates that removing barriers preventing women from working could increase income per person by 1/5th in many countries. It’s not surprising that when women work, economies grow and diversify. Socially, domestic power structures also shift. A study by the Economist analysed data from 27 countries and saw that women who work have greater decision-making capability, whether in relation to household budgets or their social freedom. 

The connection between women’s participation in work and their agency is central to the SKY Girl’s programme in Nigeria, where our campaign aims to normalise the idea of women earning and managing their own income, making financial decisions and having greater overall control over their futures. And it’s encouraging to see publications like the Economist address the economic case for gender norms change, an area that can often be perceived as soft and hard to quantify. 

One thing is clear; when women work, everyone benefits.