Africa in its entirety suffers from the sentimental disposition towards gender inequality thereby letting merit get sacrificed on the altar of mediocrity. This successively have a drastic effect on the economy of Africa as possible employment could also be denied the qualified female candidates as well as lesser opportunities, restricted Career Development, success and financial goals.
The gender pay gap also known as the gender wage gap could be seen in a nutshell, as a situation whereby the female in a job position is paid wages lesser than that of her male counterparts, even if they clearly occupy same position with same job descriptions, goals and expected results or output.
This discrimination which is solely as a result of societal and employers ideologies on gender inequality go as far as depriving the ideal female candidate, the opportunity to reach their full potentials and bring growth and development to Africa's economy.
Some females will deliberately or subconsciously reject a job offer due to the negligence of the employers to ensure the pay matrix is commensurate to the services offered by the females in such jobs, in synergy with that of their male coequal.
It is not cliche to say, conducive work environment and reasonable wages are key factors to desirable productivity.
The economy of a nation thrives on the people and it's business output or success. Therefore, it is pertinent to note that all spectra that make up the economy should be brought into play in order to achieve economic growth.
According to a study by Quartz Africa (2018), even if one African country close its gender pay gap, another country tend to get worse, thereby, causing the overall average wage gap in the continent to get wider. It can therefore be deduced from this that, the failure of one country as regards to the economy leads to a failure in the Africa’s economy at large.
The issue of gender inequality continue to play a crucial role in the wage gap as seen in the disparity between women and men's representation in politics and the economy at large whereby women are underrepresented.
This bastardized representation which is as a result of women being constantly held back from discovering, reaching and fulfilling their maximum potential emanates from common restrictions and controls weather in businesses or as leaders in public affairs. This seriatim have the potential of causing a downturn in the continent's economy as a whole.
Women tend to be meticulous as this can be seen in their supposed role in the home. Therefore, it is not out of place to say women in Africa apply this meticulousness even in the workplace and they seldom never take the lead in organisational growth and success.
Another underlying factor of the gender pay gap bothers on the roles given to women at homes as a norm overtime.
On the other hand, men tend to reach the Pinnacle of their careers and get faster position boost as a result of women taking extended leaves more likely than men. This can cause a disproportion in pay due to current work disrruptions. Even if a woman and man get into the same job at same time and same levels, before the mid and late career of their lives, the male counterparts tend to get in higher opportunities, executive positions and eventually a higher pay as a result of the backdrop in the Africa's irrational gender biases which includes but not limited to “a woman's place is at home”.
Backdrops such as saddling the responsibility of taking care of the home and kids as well as leaving house chores to the woman alone are key factors responsible for the extended leaves and work time leverages as opposed to the leverages given to their co-equals.
Without sentiments, it is of utmost importance that the gender pay gap be closed in order for the African continent to reach her full economic potentials.
A failure to take into consideration this ever-rising stigma on the female gender, irrespective of their intelligence and understated input to the growth and development of Africa, will lead to a constant depletion, below-average/demeaned economy or an eventual death of the economic prowess of the African continent.
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