This policy brief addresses the under representation of women in Uganda’s labor market, where their participation stands at 39.3% compared to 57.9% for men. Key challenges include wage disparities, with women earning less across all education levels, and a high concentration in low-skilled roles, particularly in the informal sector. Women face significant caregiving burdens, spending 29.7 hours weekly on unpaid care work, which limits their employment opportunities.
This brief presents key findings from a novel social-ecological model (called Promoting, Organizing, Working, Engaging and Research out (P.O.W.E.R)) implemented in a randomized trial setting to test what works to increase the share of women in paid work and hence promote their economic empowerment. Findings reveal that a systematic and sequential implementation of individual/household plus community-level interventions can increase women’s participation in paid work activities by 35 minutes more than in the control group.
This Brief assesses the status and progress of implementing the revised lower secondary curriculum. A mini-survey to examine teacher experiences in delivering the new curriculum and student experiences in learning the new curriculum revealed significant challenges; including the quality of student work, insufficient ICT equipment, confusion over project work, weak parental support, among others. These undermine the potential benefits of the curriculum.
This policy brief provides an in-depth analysis of labour externalization in Uganda (what has worked and not worked). The brief provides recommendations on ways of leveraging the benefits of externalization to enhance Uganda’s development aspirations.
This policy note explores the trends and effects of early marriage in Uganda, with a focus on the effects of early marriage on fertility rates and girls’ education. According to the Report, it is estimated that the country will spend over Ushs 645 billion per annum on the healthcare of teenage mothers and the education of their children if nothing is done to remedy the situation.
This policy note examines the challenges PWDs face in the Ugandan labour market, emphasizing the disparities and obstacles faced by disabled women. These disparities manifest in the form of gender-based pay disparities, limited representation in the formal sector, inadequate workplace modifications to account for people with disabilities working there as well as the low levels of schooling among school-going PWDs. The brief makes key observations in line with the employment status of PWDs.
This Brief examines how education and training systems in Uganda are adjusting to meet the evolving labor demand considering the rapidly evolving digital technologies and the changing nature of work. The Study further explores youth employment and skills challenges and opportunities.
This brief explores the implications of the persistent school fees increment on student enrolment in Uganda. According to the Survey, seven (7) in every ten (10) surveyed schools further increased their fee charges in the first term of 2023, in addition to the increment made in September 2022 (third term of the previous academic year). Schools reported an increase in the enrollment of boys and a decrease in the enrollment of female students in the first term of 2023.
This Brief analyses the implications of early marriages on development outcomes such as population, fertility and education completion of women in Uganda. Findings from this Study indicate that early marriages drive Uganda’s population and total fertility rate (TFR) estimates upward, with an Early Marriage scenario increasing TFR to about 5.1 live births per woman. This eventually leads to an addition of 1.5 million people by 2030, and further to 15 million by 2060.
This Brief examines how education and training systems in Uganda are adjusting to meet the evolving labor demand considering the rapidly evolving digital technologies and the changing nature of work. The Study further explores youth employment and skills challenges and opportunities.
