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Tackling Female Labour Market Exclusion and Transition into Formal Employment in Uganda
Women’s labour force participation in Uganda remains low at 39%, compared to 49% for men. Moreover, majority of the employed women (94%) work in informal, insecure jobs, with no social protection and job security.
This is driven by restrictive gender norms, unpaid care responsibilities, early marriage, and limited access to skills which hinder women’s transition into formal employment. Young women face even greater challenges, with 47% classified as NEET (Not in Employment, Education, or Training), reducing their job prospects and chances of entering formal work.
Despite supportive policies like the 2007 Gender Policy and the 2011 National Employment Policy, women still experience higher unemployment rates (14.2% vs. 10.5% for men) and limited access to formal job opportunities. To address these gaps, the brief proposes policy actions to improve women’s access to formal work, including expanding subsidized childcare, enforcing adolescent mother school re-entry, and fast-tracking formalization in women-dominated sectors, and strengthening workplace protections against gender bias and harassment.
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- Published Feb 9, 2026