THE ABBREVIATED WOMEN’S EMPOWERMENT IN AGRICULTURE INDEX: AN APPLICATION IN THE REPUBLIC OF NORTH MACEDONIA

Abstract

Gender inequality has important implications for any society and is particularly important for developing economies because of their large reliance on the agricultural sector where it is especially pronounced. Women are often a crucial resource in agriculture and the rural economy but face constraints that reduce their productivity and hinder their competitiveness in the sector. In this study we measure the Abbreviated Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture Index, as a standardized methodology that directly capture women’s empowerment and inclusion of women in the agricultural sector, and quantify the level of women empowerment in the agricultural sector in the Republic of North Macedonia. Results show that women are disempowered in all domains in agriculture compared to men. More precisely, women are significantly disempowered in ownership of assets, input in decision making and control over use of income. Positive impact on the higher empowerment of the households and smaller gender parity gap is when women are responsible for farm accountancy within the agricultural household.