GENDER DISPARITIES AND POVERTY - A BACKGROUND PAPER FOR THE TOGO POVERTY AND GENDER ASSESSMENT 2022

Jul 19, 2026

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Gender gaps in Togo extend across childhood, adolescence, and adulthood, rooted in social norms and gender roles that shape access to schooling and longer-term participation in education and work. Girls face disadvantages in schooling, and a substantial share drop out during adolescence due to child marriage, adolescent pregnancy, and time-use patterns. Women then encounter constraints from limited education and economic opportunities, restrictive roles in labor-force participation, financial inequities, widespread acceptance of violence against women, health risks, and limited agency and decision-making capacity.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages72

Reading Time3 h 1 min

Contents

Acknowledgments

Executive Summary

Introduction: Gender Inequality and Poverty in Togo

Gender Gaps in Endowments

Gender gaps in education

Gender disparities in health accumulation

Gender and Agency

Gender-based violence

Child marriage

Decision-making in the private and the public spheres

Gender Gaps in Economic Opportunities

Labor force participation

Access to finance and assets

Land ownership and use

Unpaid domestic work

Policy Options

Focus on adolescent girls

Assist girls in completing primary and secondary school

Increase access to family planning, and enhance reproductive and sexual health, particularly for adolescent girls

Reduce child and early marriage

Support female farmers to build and sustain their businesses

Prevent GBV and address its consequences

Close gender gaps in decision-making and women’s political participation

Improve women’s economic opportunities through access to quality employment and enhanced productivity of self-employed women

Strategically address the root causes of observed outcomes

References

Public Disc losure Authorized GENDER DISPARITIES AND POVERTY A BACKGROUND PAPER FOR THE TOGO POVERTY AND GENDER ASSESSMENT 2022 u ub lic Disclosure th ir el Disclosure Authorized Pub lic Disclosure © 2023 International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / The World Bank 1818 H Street NW, Washington DC 20433 Telephone: 202-473-1000; [Internet: www.worldbank.org](Internet: www.worldbank.org)[ ](Internet: www.worldbank.org)Some rights reserved. This work is a product of the staff of The World Bank with external contributions. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this work do not necessarily reflect the views of The World Bank, its Board of Executive Directors, or the governments they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. The boundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply any judgment on the part of The World Bank concerning the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. All queries on rights and licenses should be addressed to World Bank Publications, The World Bank Group, 1818 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20433, USA; e-mail: [pubrights@worldbank.org](pubrights@worldbank.org). CONTENTS Acknowledgments 4 Executive Summary 5 Introduction: Gender Inequality and Poverty in Togo 11 Gender Gaps in Endowments 17 Gender gaps in education 17 Gender disparities in health accumulation 20 Gender and Agency 28 Gender-based violence 28 Child marriage 32 Decision-making in the private and the public spheres 35 Gender Gaps in Economic Opportunities 39 Labor force participation 39 Access to finance and assets 44 Land ownership and use 45 Unpaid domestic work 50 Policy Options 54 Focus on adolescent girls 55 Assist girls in completing primary and secondary school 56 Increase access to family planning, and enhance reproductive and sexual health, particularly for adolescent girls 56 Reduce child and early marriage 57 Support female farmers to build and sustain their businesses 57 Prevent GBV and address its consequences 58 Close gender gaps in decision-making and women’s political participation 59 Improve women’s economic opportunities through access to quality employment and enhanced productivity of self-employed women 60 Strategically address the root causes of observed outcomes 61 References 63 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS T his background report to the Togo Poverty and Gender Assessment (2022) was prepared by Miriam Muller and Alina Kalle and benefited from valuable contributions from Stephane N’Dri, Kolobadia Ada Nayihouba, Rogelio Granguillhome Ochoa, and Aissatou Ouedraogo. The team is grateful to Jozefien van Damme and Eliana Matulevitch for their very insightful comments and inputs. Kossiwa Naman and Harende Kpango provided excellent logistical and administrative support. The team worked under the guidance of Carlos Rodriguez Castelan, Andrea Coppola, Hawa Cisse, and Johan Mistiaen. A heartfelt thankyou goes to all the key informants who generously shared their time, reflections, insights, and recommendations with the team to enhance the quality and relevance of this work. Those informants include representatives from the Présidencede la République; Ministère de la Planification du Développement et de la Coopération; Ministère du Planification du Développement et de la Coopération; Ministèrel’Action Sociale, de la Promotion de la Femme et de l’Alphabétisation; Ministère de la Santé, de l’Hygiène Publique et de l’Accès Universel aux Soins; Ministère de de l’Agriculture, de l’ Élevage et du Développement Rurale; Ministère du Développement à la Base, de la Jeunesse et de l’Emploi des Jeunes; Ministère des Enseignements Primaire, Secondaire, Technique et de l’Artisanat, Chargé de l’Enseignement Technique et del’Artisanat; Assemblée Nationale ; Institut National de la Statistique et des Etudes Economiques

FAQs

How do gender disparities in Togo begin and evolve over time?

Disadvantage starts in childhood through unequal access to schooling, continues in adolescence with higher dropout rates, and persists into adulthood through constraints on education, economic opportunity, agency, and decision-making.

What factors contribute to girls dropping out of school in adolescence?

Dropout is linked to social norms and gender roles as well as child marriage, adolescent pregnancy, and time-use patterns shaped by those norms.

How do child marriage and adolescent fertility affect education and economic opportunities?

High prevalence of child marriage and adolescent fertility increases health risks and reduces the time available for full participation in education and economic opportunities.

Jul 19, 2026

Upload by Eliana