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WHAT IS THE PROBLEM?
Angola is currently struggling with gender equality and women rights. Women are expected to stay at home, which alters their beliefs for the need of education. Currently the labor participation rate of Angolan women is about 28%. Women also make up less than 40% of civil services. Therefore women are expected to stay at home, illiteracy rates are extremely high due to a lack of education. This decreases their opportunity to advance in the workforce. Approximately 54% of Angolan women are literate, which leaves a huge number of illiterate women.
ANGOLAS' SITUATION NOW...
A strategy on gender was designed as an effort to increase women's participation in positions of responsibility in the social, economic, political and family domains, respecting the principles of equality, development and peace.
The Action Plan on Education for All (School for All, 2001-2015) has stablished a plan.The main objective is to increase women's places in positions of responsibility in different socio-economic areas; the state will continue to strengthen agreements with bilateral and multilateral organizations such as UNDP, UNIFEM, UNICEF and UNFPA for assistance in areas considered as a top priority for the Ministry of Family and Women's Promotion.
It was found that in 2008-2009, 43.2% of women between 15 and 64 years had non-agricultural employment, decreasing in older age groups. Out of the 220 seats in the parliament, 85 of them, or 36% of the total, were occupied by women.
2009 saw a continuation of the gender balance noted in 2005, regarding the proportion of boys and girls who attended primary and secondary school.
It is noteworthy to state that there were no significant gender differences regarding the national net rate of school attendance.
Analysing the Gender Inequality Index, it was clear that there was no gender gap at the primary level and the differences were insignificant at the secondary level.
In combining two factors - gender and area of residence - the differences in primary education still did not appear, but the number of girls in secondary education in rural areas is becoming notable - net attendance rate of girls in education secondary falls from 28.0% in urban areas to 1.8% in rural areas, according to IBEP data (2008-2009). For boys, the fall was from 31.7% to 6.6%.
Sources:
http://www.our-africa.org/angola
http://www.angola-today.com/society/health/