This report is part of the Cities for Women Global Programme and helps cities develop urban areas that are more gender-sensitive, inclusive, and responsive to everyone’s needs, create frameworks of opportunities for the active participation of all.
Women Transforming Monrovia
Despite advances in women's leadership representation, Liberia's women have limited decision-making power, and their domestic roles hamper their economic empowerment opportunities. This reality contributes to poverty amongst women in informal settlements in Greater Monrovia. This report collects the learnings from of a city-wide process led by Cities Alliance and its local partners to include women's needs and ideas in the formulation of a City Development Strategy for the Greater Monrovia Area by using quantitative data collection coupled with a participatory qualitative dialogue in the form of a workshop.
Highlights
- Today due to the rapid urbanization in Greater Monrovia, over 70% of the city's population lives in informal settlements.
- The stakeholder's workshop's analysis showed that over 80 per cent of women living in Greater Monrovia earn below the average national income compared to their male counterparts.
- Women in cities often suffer disproportionately as they experience greater difficulty in influencing decision-making and gaining access to resources and services.
- To adequately transition to urbanization where women have equal rights compared to their male counterparts, providing security of tenure to women and their families living in slums must be a priority.
- Embracing gender analysis and gender mainstreaming to promote all policies and programmes ensures that all women benefit from increased economic opportunities.
