Women's Workload, Global FACTS

• Female-headed households (FHHs) constitute a significant proportion of households in some countries, such as Cambodia (35%) and in parts of Nepal. The out-migration of men is one major cause. Women remain as household heads and the main farmers.

• In all, 96% of FHHs are poor, and 33% are hard-core poor.

• In Burkina Faso, the average working day for men is 8.5 hours, but for women it is 14 hours.

• In Asia, female poverty and workload is a factor in the transmission of poverty to the next generation.

• Poverty is more severe and binding for women in that it is harder for them and their children to escape it.

• In Gabon, women perform 95% of farm work, usually working around 15 hours of day. Even during peak agricultural periods, males spend only about 2 to 3 hours a day on agriculture.

• In the Central Province of Cameroon, women's working week is longer than 64 hours, whereas for men it is only about 32 hours. About half of women's time is spent on domestic tasks, but even then women spend more time on agriculture than men do (26 hours/week compared with only 12 hours/week for men).

• In many countries, FHHs are poorer than households with male heads. In Bangladesh, for example, FHHs constitute 16% of the landless and marginal households.

• Poorer rural women in West Africa usually work longer hours a day than males in similar circumstances.

• It is now commonly recognized that in poorer households, women farmers usually work longer and harder than men.

• Poor farm women not only work longer hours than men but often perform physically demanding work.

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), a specialized agency of the United Nations
http://www.ifad.org/governance/index.htm

Prayer Corner

• Heather-Dawn Small and Raquel Arrais travel to Inter-American Division
• Planning for GC Session Women's Meetings
• Women's Workload

Calendar

• March 6: Women's Ministries International Day of Prayer. To download free packet, click HERE
• February 1: Statistical Reports Due 
• March 6: Human Rights Day