The Issue
Gender Inequality
Striking gaps between women and men exist in cocoa-growing communities:
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Lower incomes: Female cocoa farmers earn 25%-30% less than male farmers in Ghana and up to 70% less in Côte d'Ivoire
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Less access to training: Women often struggle to access the training and education that will help them understand how to improve their own situation and gain empowerment and autonomy in affairs at home and in their community.
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Lower economic empowerment: Women typically face greater challenges than men in achieving economic empowerment and sustainable livelihoods. This includes obstacles around accessing finance, farm inputs, and participating in farming collectives and cooperatives.
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Less land ownership: 40% of the work on cocoa farms is done by women, yet they only own 2% of the land and are excluded from group training sessions, according to research
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Decision-making power: Women often lack a voice in decision-making at the household, community, district and national level, and are often underrepresented in leadership positions. Women often are denied the right to decide when and how to overcome the challenges they face.
A vital role in sustainable communities
Women play a vital role in cocoa farming but often go unrecognized. Women cultivate change in their communities, on the farm and with their children. Here's what we've seen:
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Women contribute beyond cocoa; they cultivate other crops for domestic consumption, such as yam, cocoyam, cassava and plantains
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There is a strong correlation between women's empowerment, education and child development
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Increasing women's involvement and voice in decision making leads to more sustainable communities