Key Messages

CHAPTER 3

What Are the Barriers to Career Development?

Key Messages

• This report identifies three main barriers for middle-income countries to address to expand female career opportunities.

• First, low service sector demand due to insufficient national income (low gross domestic product [GDP] per capita) makes it difficult for women to transition from jobs to careers. Occupations associated with careers mostly occur in professional service industries that barely exist in lower-middle-income countries. • Second, “careers” (unlike “jobs”) often require upper-secondary or tertiary education, yet many lower-middle-income countries lack a sufficient share of the population with the education to qualify for high-skill occupations. In addition, graduates must have the required skills for the labor market.

• Third, social, cultural, and legal barriers are at play that limit female participation in the workforce. In several country cases, women are underrepresented even in traditionally female-dominated industries.