- In Eswatini, women are about as likely as men to have secondary (58% vs. 59%) or post-secondary (21% vs. 23%) education. Slightly more women than men lack formal education (6% vs. 3%) (Figure 1).
- Swati men are 4 percentage points more likely than women to have full-time paid employment (23% vs. 19%). Nearly half (48%) of Swati women are not working and looking for employment, compared to 44% of men (Figure 2).
- One-third (33%) of citizens believe women are “often” or “always” barred by their spouses or other family members from taking paid employment (Figure 3).
- This view increases with respondents’ experience of lived poverty, ranging from 25% among those experiencing no or low lived poverty to 42% of those experiencing high lived poverty.
- Three in 10 Emaswati (29%) say girls “often” or “always” face discrimination or harassment in school. But most (96%) say families “rarely” or “never” prevent girls from attending school because they prioritise boys’ education (Figure 4).
- About eight in 10 citizens (82%) say women should have the same chance as men of being elected to public office, a proportion that has fluctuated only modestly since 2013 (Figure 5).
Eswatini is close to achieving gender equality in educational attainment and employment levels, but girls and women face additional obstacles in attending school and finding work, a new Afrobarometer study reveals.
Swati men and women report similar levels of secondary or post-secondary education, though slightly more women than men lack formal schooling. And three in 10 citizens say girls frequently face discrimination or harassment at school.
Men are marginally more likely to be in full-time paid employment. But unemployment is a challenge for both genders: More than four in 10 women and men report not having work and looking for a job.
Women face additional obstacles in finding employment: One-third of citizens say women are “often” or “always” barred by their spouses or other family members from taking paid employment.
Support for gender parity in politics remains strong: More than eight in 10 respondents say men and women should have the same chance of being elected to public office.