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3.0 Gender in Mali's PRSP.

Article Excerpt
3.1 Gender Analysis of the PRSP sectors

The key contributors to Mali's economic growth (2006) are the primary sector (33%), the secondary sector (22%) and the tertiary sector (25%).

3.1.1 Gender and the primary sector

The primary sector, comprising sub-sectors such as subsistence farming, export farming, livestock farming and hunting, forest farming and fishing, represent the mainstay of Malian economy, the constant progress made by the secondary and tertiary sectors notwithstanding. The primary sector employs 83.4% of the active population (Finance law of 2006) and generates over 30% of GDP (DNSI 2005-2006 economic accounts).

In Mali, women constitute close to 50.5% of total population (2006 State budget), and also represent a large part of active population, particularly in the primary sector. Women constitute the bulk of manpower in the subsistence farming and export sub-sectors All farming activities are organized around women, and they participate in the same way in the other sub-sectors.

Livestock keeping is partly their duty. Women exclusively carry out sale of milk products and game meat products. Similarly, women are the main consumers of forest farming products.

Through women's participation in production in the primary sector one can conclude that their contribution to the GDP in the sector is not and cannot be negligible. However, this contribution to wealth creation at the household, community, even national levels, is not officially recognized.

3.1.2 Gender and the secondary sector

Despite their low numbers in the secondary sector, women's participation is active. They participate in traditional gold washing. Although they are not employed in the mining industry, it is women who are left to fend for children and the old people in the...

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