Being a woman in Côte dIvoire: empowerment challenges.

In Africa women are subjected to discriminatory practices that keep them in a vulnerable situation. Their limited access to land in a continent where the majority of the population depends on agriculture reduces their access to credit and their capacity to undertake sustainable economic activities to generate income. They hold only 18 percent of agricultural lands and are not better off in administrations. In Cote dIvoire the woman remains marginalized with a status that is increasingly weakened today by the socio-political situation. Data from the National Statistics Institute highlight their extreme poverty: 75 percent of rural women are living below the poverty line. And they are often deprived of basic social services. Some socio-cultural factors perpetuate traditions that are harmful to girls and women. This report is the culmination of the process initiated by the World Bank as part of the establishment of its program of strengthening the role of women in Ivorian society. It reports summary proposals from the various consultations held both nationally and regionally. Designed in a participatory and decentralized approach these consultations have made it possible to gather factual and contextual data on the four (04) themes selected for the workshops as well as proposals that if translated into actions would help develop an action plan. This is and it must be stressed a study that has the merit of giving the floor directly to hundreds of Ivorian women from all socio-professional categories to develop themselves a roadmap based on their own daily experiences.