Pierotti, Rachael SusanCucagna, Maria EmiliaPike, Isabel Grace GlasierMbaye, Mame Soukeye2024-12-032024-12-032024-12-03https://hdl.handle.net/10986/42491In Conakry, Republic of Guinea, women business owners in male-dominated sectors earn significantly more than their counterparts in sectors with a higher concentration of female entrepreneurs. This trend aligns with findings from the Africa Gender Innovation Lab (GIL), highlighting the potential economic benefits when women break traditional gender barriers in business. GIL’s recent qualitative research reveals positive social perceptions of women in these fields, with both men and women viewing them as courageous, challenging the idea that social disapproval is a significant barrier. However, beyond personal preferences and domestic duties often cited for women’s under-representation in male-dominated sectors, deeper constraints persist. Chief among these are the high startup capital requirements and the issues of paternalism and harassment that women frequently face. Policies aiming to boost women’s participation in these higher-earning sectors must address both entry barriers, like access to capital, and workplace retention issues, such as hostile work environments, to effectively reduce occupational gender segregation and close the wage gap.en-USCC BY-NC 3.0 IGOAFRICA GENDER POLICYGENDER INNOVATION LABWOMEN AND PRIVATE SECTOR DEVELOPMENTWOMEN AND SOCIAL NORMSGENDER EQUALITYSDG 5BriefWorld Bank10.1596/42491