Women and human development in Benin

The Report provides an assessment of human development in Benin with a focus on the situation of women and their access to development opportunities. It explores regional gender differences in education, the condition of female, reproductive, and youth health and analyzes the economic activity of women with respect to the labour force and the informal sector. The Report finds that in 1996, only 7.3% of National Assembly seats were occupied by women. Participation of women in economic activities stagnates at 57.7%, which is considerably lower than male participation at 82.3%. It is clear from the Report's findings that the Beninoise society suffers from serious gender discrimination that highly favors men. Problems of the judicial system of Benin, in particular those that pose obstacles to the empowerment of women, are also discussed. The final chapter presents the priorities of Benin with regards to reducing overall gender inequality.