Sightsavers International pushes for equal job rights

Sightsavers International, a British charity for people with disabilities, is calling for urgent action to close the gender employment gap, especially for women with disabilities. Referencing the World Bank data, it revealed that the world could gain trillions annually in Gross Domestic Product if women were employed at the same rate as men and failure to close gender employment gaps reduces a country’s economic growth by 20% on average.

In many countries, women face multiple challenges when seeking employment or starting a business. Gender discrimination alone can drive women into poverty, but the risk increases if paired with disabilities. 

In honor of International Women’s Day, Sightsavers International, a British nongovernmental agency that aims to prevent avoidable blindness and ensure equality for the visually impaired, cited the World Bank’s figures showing that global GDP would increase from $106 trillion to $127 trillion if women were employed at the same rate as men.

Sightsavers International: Advocating for change

Sightsavers International posits that they start with sight but do not stop there. In the past 75 years, Sightsavers has achieved amazing things. 

They work in more than 30 African and Asian countries to train health workers, provide eye operations, support people with disabilities, improve women’s health and more. Their vision is a world where no one is blind from avoidable causes, and everyone can participate equally in society.

A 41-year-old beautician from Zimbabwe, Michelle Madau, is living with osteogenesis imperfecta, a brittle bone disease. Despite her disorder, she helps people like her learn how to run a business.

“I am mentoring the upcoming beauticians who are disabled, and I am availing myself, making sure I am there when needed, speaking to them, and helping them build up their businesses; of course, not all of them are in the beauty industry; whichever line of business I am familiar with, I am always there to assist them because I also want to see them win, just like I am winning right now,” Madau said.

Lydia Rosasi, 29, works at the office of the Kenyan government spokesperson, where she assists people with blindness, deafness, and other disabilities in accessing government communications. She revealed how she made herself stand out in the job market better.

“For me, one of the greatest pillars in navigating this double bias has been education and skills development. This has been the crucial thing that has kept me afloat as I go through these challenges. For example, in 2021, I joined the IT Bridger Academy. At that time, digital skills were gaining a lot of prominence in the job market. ,” Rosasi said.

She attributed all these to what gave her confidence and the capabilities that opened doors for her. She spoke of how she found supportive mentors and leaders who were very important to her.

Policy reforms and cultural change: The road ahead

Reports reveal that many African women struggle to get jobs, either because they were married off or became mothers at a young age, leaving them unable to finish their studies. Others encounter discrimination or sexual violence in their workplaces.

Experts say empowering girls with education and allowing them to finish school is one way to reduce the gender employment gap. Lianna Jones, who works on economic empowerment at Sightsavers, said that closing the gender gap requires policy reforms and cultural change.

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She purported that closing the gender gap in employment and entrepreneurship would require coordinated interventions at multiple levels. At the policy level, it is necessary to eliminate discriminatory laws and regulations restricting women’s economic participation. 

She admitted that women with disabilities needed specialized approaches that address both gender- and disability-related barriers simultaneously, and lastly, they need to challenge social norms to engage with community leaders, men, and boys.

According to Equal Measures 2030, a coalition of national, regional and global leaders from feminist networks, civil society and international development, women in at least 77 countries are prohibited from working the same jobs or sectors as men. In Africa, only five countries have a complete set of laws mandating workplace equality for women.

Even though Sightsavers International starts with sight but does not stop there, it is evident that they are determined to push for policy changes and increased awareness to ensure that gender and disability no longer define a woman’s professional trajectory.