The Quest for Female Economic Empowerment in Sub-Saharan African Countries: Implications on Gender-Based Violence

Abstract

Recent empirical literature has focused on the social aspect of gender-based violence regarding domestic violence and physical abuse while the implications of economic empowerment in an attempt to reduce gender-based violence remain under-researched. This study investigated the connection between female economic empowerment and factors that could reduce gender-based violence in sub-Saharan African countries. We used the panel fully modified least squares estimation method to investigate the long-run implications. The gender inequality index, the female genital mutilation prevalence, and the number of female children out of school were used as proxies for gender-based violence. Likewise, economic empowerment was a proxy for female economic participation; it was replaced by female employment for the robustness test. Evidence from the panel fully modified least squares estimation showed that female economic empowerment had a negative relationship with the gender inequality index, the number of female children out of primary school, and female genital mutilation. We concluded that an increase in the economic power of females through increased economic participation could reduce gender-based violence in the long run. Based on these findings, this study recommends policies to improve the situation. This study shifts attention to the macro-connection between factors that can reduce GBV and increase female economic empowerment in selected areas of sub-Saharan Africa.