世界银行-圣多美和普林西比旅游业的性别评估（英）_52页_11mb

Gender Equality Assessment in Tourism for São Tomé and Príncipe

Executive Summary

Tourism offers significant opportunities for women's empowerment in employment, entrepreneurship, and leadership, aligning with global trends. However, São Tomé and Príncipe faces substantial gender disparities, including a 32.6% labor force participation gap, with women earning less and often in informal or low-skilled roles. Key issues include limited access to finance, high informal economy participation, and pervasive social norms restricting women's economic roles. The assessment recommends targeted interventions to enhance women's participation in tourism, focusing on education, financial inclusion, and policy reforms to address challenges and leverage tourism's growth potential for gender equality.

Key Gender Equality Challenges

• Labor Force Participation and Poverty: Women have a lower labor force participation rate (37.8% vs. 70.4% for men) and higher poverty rates (71.3% vs. 63.4% for men). High unemployment and underemployment affect women, with 19.7% female unemployment compared to 9.3% for men. Gender pay gaps persist due to limited data and enforcement of equality measures.
• Informal Economy and Financial Access: Two-thirds of women are in vulnerable employment, with constraints in financial inclusion. Informality limits access to finance, markets, and social protection, while high fertility rates exacerbate caregiving burdens.
• Social Norms and Gender-Based Violence (GBV): Deep-rooted stereotypes, early marriage, and GBV undermine women's economic potential. Tourism workplaces face risks of harassment and exploitation, requiring stronger prevention policies.

Sector-Specific Issues in Tourism

• Employment: Women dominate tourism jobs (57% in accommodation and restaurants), but earn less due to concentration in low-paid roles. Segregation and limited leadership opportunities persist, with barriers like language proficiency and childcare needs.
• Entrepreneurship: Only 20.7% of entrepreneurs are women, hindered by lack of finance, role models, and limited market access. Cooperatives support some women, but formalization and sustainability are challenges.
• Leadership: Women are underrepresented in decision-making, with few female mentors and weak gender-sensitive workplace policies. GBV prevention and inclusive leadership training are emphasized.

Recommendations for Advancing Gender Equality

• Employment: Implement tailored training programs to improve skills, promote language and IT literacy, and enhance pay transparency. Expand childcare services and support career progression through mentorship.
• Entrepreneurship: Promote formalization, access to finance, and female boot camps for tourism business development. Linkages with hotels and supply chains should be fostered to create market opportunities.
• Leadership and Policy: Develop gender observatories, enforce anti-GBV protocols, and integrate multi-stakeholder partnerships. Strengthen data collection for evidence-based policymaking.

This assessment underscores the need for comprehensive reforms to ensure tourism contributes to women's economic empowerment in São Tomé and Príncipe.