Paddy S Knudsen

Why should African women care about public debt? 1.The costs of servicing debt are disproportionately borne by women, while the funds borrowed are rarely spent in ways that prioritise women’s rights. 2. Labour rights, or lack thereof, regressive taxation regimes are other ways in which debt is damaging to the economic well-being of women in Africa. 3. Women are disproportionately hired into civil service jobs and when they are hired, they are segregated in the lowest, most vulnerable positions and if the ship were to sink, they are often the first ones to lose their jobs. 4. The pressure to service debts at the expense of development goals allows for increased revenue seeking by governments which often results in increased indirect tax such as VAT, which is regressive and carries a disproportionate impact on women.