World Bank reveals only 10% of Nigerian women are gainfully employed

According to reports from the World Bank, fewer than 10% of Nigerian women have any form of paid jobs in the country, indicating significant gender disparity in the workforce.

As per the reports, just 10.5% of Nigerian women employees participate in waged or salaried work in the year 2025, despite the large participation of women in the economic sector.

The numbers indicate that 80.7 per cent of Nigerian women aged 15 and above participate in the labour force, but they are largely engaged in low-wage jobs with no job stability.

Some examples of such jobs include small trading and unpaid domestic work, which are categorised as vulnerable employment.

When compared with men, there is a wider gender gap in Nigeria. According to reports, about 17% of working Nigerian men engage in paid employment.

The country is doing worse than average in its global peers and other developing nations when it comes to women's paid employment:

• 16.9% in Sub-Saharan Africa

• 26.5% in lower-middle-income economies

• 54.6% globally

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Also, reports indicate that 79.1% of working Nigerian women are engaged in vulnerable employment (self-employed and unpaid family work) compared to 54.8% of men.

The employment offered limited income and legal protection and lacks any job security, making it difficult for women to make progress economically.

The main reasons contributing to such gender gaps include:

• Limited educational background

• Inaccessibility to finances

• Social-cultural constraints

Such barriers keep pushing many women into vulnerable or unpaid employment.

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Also, according to the reports, 23.6 per cent of working women are engaged in agricultural practices, while the ratio is 42.7 per cent for men.

Though the number is relatively smaller when it comes to percentages, agriculture continues to remain a vital sector for women.

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For instance, the rate of youth unemployment among females is 6.29%, which is lower compared to the rates both in Africa and globally. However, the male youths' unemployment rate is even lower at 4.42%.

Nonetheless, there is still evidence of inequality within the NEET rate. In particular, the indicator is 13.4% for the female youth, demonstrating that numerous women do not participate in economic activity.

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Legal inequalities persist. Nigeria received 51% in the Women, Business and the Law index, meaning that women had less than half the legal rights enjoyed by men.

The implementation framework and enforcement mechanisms of the above-mentioned laws are rated, respectively, at 49% and 34%, while no significant reforms happened during the period from 2023 to 2025.

Moreover, when it comes to financial inclusion, the gender gap persists:

The percentage of account ownership by females was 52.2%, while among males it was 74.3%. Saving ratios are also lower among women, which means that there will be fewer possibilities to establish a business or move to the formal economy.

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We should consider the following aspects that impact women's participation in business:

• high levels of maternal mortality;
  

• early childbirth;

• child marriages;

All the above can hinder access to education.

Finally, there is still inequality within the media sphere of Nigeria. This point was previously noted by GST Media. According to its observations, the sector is dominated by men.

The World Bank says that improving gender equality is important for the sake of Nigeria’s economic growth.