[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-detail-108974-en":3,"doc-seo-108974-105":31,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":93},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",{"doc_id":7,"user_id":8,"nickname":9,"user_avatar":10,"doc_module":4,"category_id":11,"category_name":12,"doc_title":13,"doc_description":14,"doc_content":15,"file_id":16,"file_url":17,"file_type":18,"file_size":19,"view_count":20,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":21,"is_downloadable":21,"audit_status":21,"page_count":22,"language":23,"language_code":24,"site_id":25,"html_lang":24,"table_of_contents":26,"faqs":27,"seo_title":28,"seo_description":14,"update_tm":29,"read_time":30},108974,1374391974585,"Genevieve","https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_276721f389ce27ea32af1340a28f341c",8,"Research & Report","Poverty and Gender in Malawi - A background paper for the 2021 Malawi Poverty Assessment","Poverty and Gender in Malawi examines how gender disparities intersect with poverty dynamics in Malawi, using the analytical framework developed in “Poverty Assessments and Gender Equality—A Guidance Note for Poverty Economists.” The paper links household survey evidence (including IHS5 2019–20) to findings that women, especially single mothers and women in core productive and reproductive life stages, are more likely to be poor. It connects gender differences in labor income, agricultural opportunities, transfers, and human capital endowments with women’s agency constraints, legal context, violence against women and girls, child marriage, and limited decision-making. The analysis positions gender equality as foundational to inclusive and sustainable growth and poverty reduction.","Pub lic Disclosure Authorized Pub lic Disclosure Authorized Pub lic Disclosure Authorized Pub lic Disclosure Authorized  \nPoverty and Gender in Malawi  \nA background paper for the Poverty Assessment for Malawi  \nPoverty and Gender in Malawi  \nA background paper for the 2021 Malawi Poverty Assessment  \nWorld Bank  \n© 2021 Poverty and Equity Global Practice / The World Bank  \n1818 H Street NW Washington DC 20433 Telephone: 202-473-1000  \n[Internet: www.worldbank.org](Internet: www.worldbank.org)  \nThis 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.  \nThe 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.  \nRights and Permissions  \nThe material in this work is subject to copyright. Because The World Bank encourages dissemination of its knowledge, this work may be reproduced, in whole or in part, for noncommercial purposes as long as full attribution to this work is given.  \nAny queries on rights and licenses, including subsidiary rights, should be addressed to World Bank Publications, The World Bank Group, 1818 H Street NW, Washington, DC 20433, USA; fax: 202-522-2625;  \ne-mail: [pubrights@worldbank.org](pubrights@worldbank.org).  \nACKNOWLEDGEMENTS  \nThis note was prepared by Melanie Gross (Consultant) and Miriam Muller (Social Scientist) as a background paper for the 2021 Malawi Poverty Assessment with valuable contributions from German Caruso (Senior Economist) and Lina Marcela Cardona (Economist) . The work was closely coordinated with the 2021 Malawi Gender Assessment team, led by M.  \nYaa Pokua Afriyie Oppong (Sector Leader) . The team gratefully acknowledges comments and inputs received from Pierella Paci (Practice Manager), Violette Mwikali Wambua (Senior Social Specialist), William G. Battaile (Lead Economist), Inaam Ul Haq (Program Leader), Marcos Puig Insúa (Consultant), and Ursula Casabonne (Consultant) .  \nTABLE OF CONTENTS  \nAcknowledgements 3  \n1. IntroductIon and framework 7  \n2. the IntersectIon of Poverty and Gender In malawI 11  \n3. Gender dIsParItIes In economIc oPPortunItIes and outcomes 21  \nLabor force participation and wage employment 21  \nGender disparities in the agriculture sector 27  \nHousehold businesses 34  \nBeyond labor income—transfers and the potential to alleviate poverty 36  \n4. endowments: essentIal InPuts to the formatIon of human caPItal 40  \nStaying in school matters—girls at a disadvantage 40  \nReproductive health 44  \nDisproportionate effect of HIV-AIDS on women in Malawi 48  \n5. women’s aGency: a crucIal drIver behInd outcomes of well-beInG 52  \nLegal context 52  \nViolence against women and girls—a negation of their human rights 53  \nChild marriage—a specific form of violence against women  \nthat limits girls’ prospects in multiple dimensions of well-being 58  \nWomen’s limited decision-making in private and public spheres 60  \n6. In closInG 64  \naPPendIx a data and Poverty measurement detaIls 67  \naPPendIx b methodoloGy and data 70  \naPPendIx c women, busIness and the law 2021 72  \nreferences 76  \n1. Introduction and framework  \nOver the past several decades, Malawi has seen important improvements in several key development outcomes and a narrowing of gender gaps. Life expectancy has increased significantly over the last 30 years, infant mortality rates decreased far beyond the Sub-Saharan Africa average between 1990 and 2018, and maternal mortality rates have been reduced by more than half since 2000. Also, Malawi experienced a steep drop in fertility from 6.7 births per woman in 1990 to 4.1 in 2018,","cbCaihBgjhX4mzMf","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaihBgjhX4mzMf","pdf",8315817,7,1,83,"English","en",105,"# Acknowledgements\n# IntroductIon and framework\n# the IntersectIon of Poverty and Gender In malawI\n## Labor force participation and wage employment\n## Gender disparities in the agriculture sector\n## Household businesses\n## Beyond labor income—transfers and the potential to alleviate poverty\n# endowments: essentIal InPuts to the formatIon of human caPItal\n## Staying in school matters—girls at a disadvantage\n## Reproductive health\n## Disproportionate effect of HIV-AIDS on women in Malawi\n# women’s aGency: a crucIal drIver behInd outcomes of well-beInG\n## Legal context\n## Violence against women and girls\n## Child marriage\n## Women’s limited decision-making in private and public spheres\n# In closInG\n# aPPendIx a data and Poverty measurement detaIls\n# aPPendIx b methodoloGy and data\n# aPPendIx c women, busIness and the law 2021\n# references","[{\"question\":\"What does the paper focus on regarding poverty in Malawi?\",\"answer\":\"The paper analyzes the intersection of poverty and gender in Malawi, showing how gender disparities shape both gendered poverty and poverty overall. It emphasizes patterns across key life stages and household compositions.\"},{\"question\":\"How does gender disparity show up in poverty rates and who is most affected?\",\"answer\":\"The latest household survey evidence indicates women are more likely to be poor, especially single mothers and women during core productive and reproductive stages. Households with only one female adult with children are identified as the poorest among household types.\"},{\"question\":\"Which pathways does the paper use to explain how poverty and gender intersect?\",\"answer\":\"It highlights labor-market differences, agricultural sector disparities, household business constraints, and limited income support through transfers. It also covers human capital endowments such as education and reproductive health, along with women’s agency constraints shaped by legal context and violence.\"}]","Poverty and Gender in Malawi - A background paper for the 2021 Malawi Poverty Assessment | PDF",1784475501,209,{"code":4,"msg":32,"data":33},"ok",{"site_id":25,"language":24,"slug":34,"title":13,"keywords":35,"description":14,"schema_data":36,"social_meta":88,"head_meta":90,"extra_data":92,"updated_unix":29},"poverty-and-gender-in-malawi-a-background-paper-for-the-2021-malawi-poverty-assessment","",{"@graph":37,"@context":87},[38,55,70],{"@type":39,"itemListElement":40},"BreadcrumbList",[41,45,49,52],{"item":42,"name":43,"@type":44,"position":21},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":46,"name":47,"@type":44,"position":48},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":50,"name":12,"@type":44,"position":51},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":53,"name":13,"@type":44,"position":54},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/poverty-and-gender-in-malawi-a-background-paper-for-the-2021-malawi-poverty-assessment/108974/",4,{"url":53,"name":13,"@type":56,"author":57,"headline":13,"publisher":59,"fileFormat":62,"inLanguage":24,"description":14,"dateModified":63,"datePublished":64,"encodingFormat":62,"isAccessibleForFree":65,"interactionStatistic":66},"DigitalDocument",{"name":9,"@type":58},"Person",{"url":42,"name":60,"@type":61},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-07-29","2026-07-19",true,{"@type":67,"interactionType":68,"userInteractionCount":20},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":69},"ViewAction",{"@type":71,"mainEntity":72},"FAQPage",[73,79,83],{"name":74,"@type":75,"acceptedAnswer":76},"What does the paper focus on regarding poverty in Malawi?","Question",{"text":77,"@type":78},"The paper analyzes the intersection of poverty and gender in Malawi, showing how gender disparities shape both gendered poverty and poverty overall. It emphasizes patterns across key life stages and household compositions.","Answer",{"name":80,"@type":75,"acceptedAnswer":81},"How does gender disparity show up in poverty rates and who is most affected?",{"text":82,"@type":78},"The latest household survey evidence indicates women are more likely to be poor, especially single mothers and women during core productive and reproductive stages. Households with only one female adult with children are identified as the poorest among household types.",{"name":84,"@type":75,"acceptedAnswer":85},"Which pathways does the paper use to explain how poverty and gender intersect?",{"text":86,"@type":78},"It highlights labor-market differences, agricultural sector disparities, household business constraints, and limited income support through transfers. It also covers human capital endowments such as education and reproductive health, along with women’s agency constraints shaped by legal context and violence.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":53,"og:type":89,"og:title":13,"og:site_name":60,"og:description":14},"article",{"robots":91,"canonical":53},"index,follow",{"doc_id":7,"site_id":25},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":94},[95,99,103,107,112,117,121,124,129,132,136],{"id":21,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":47,"category_name":96,"show_sort_weight":97,"slug":98},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":48,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":47,"category_name":100,"show_sort_weight":101,"slug":102},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":54,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":47,"category_name":104,"show_sort_weight":105,"slug":106},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":108,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":47,"category_name":109,"show_sort_weight":110,"slug":111},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":113,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":47,"category_name":114,"show_sort_weight":115,"slug":116},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":20,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":47,"category_name":118,"show_sort_weight":119,"slug":120},"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":11,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":47,"category_name":12,"show_sort_weight":122,"slug":123},30,"research-report",{"id":125,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":47,"category_name":126,"show_sort_weight":127,"slug":128},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":127,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":47,"category_name":130,"show_sort_weight":127,"slug":131},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":133,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":47,"category_name":134,"show_sort_weight":133,"slug":135},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":137,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":47,"category_name":138,"show_sort_weight":108,"slug":139},19,"General","general"]