Ugandan women continue to face barriers in public and private spheres
Key findings
- More than three-fourths (78%) of Ugandans believe women should have the same chance of being elected to political office as men. o After fluctuating over time, support for gender equality in political leadership is at about the same level now as it was in 2005 (79%). o Women are 12 percentage points more likely than men to support a fair chance for women to be elected to public office (84% vs. 72%).
- Women are less likely than men to have full-time or part-time employment (38% vs. 49%).
- More than four in 10 respondents (42%) agree that "when jobs are scarce, men should have more rights to a job" than women. A slim majority (55%) reject this form of discrimination. o A majority (53%) of men believe men should receive preference for work, compared with 30% of women.
- Women trail men in the ownership of a variety of key assets, including mobile phones, mobile money accounts, and motor vehicles.
- About one-third of men and women (35% each) say they make financial decisions independently, while 39% of women and 42% of men say they make decisions jointly with a spouse.
- More than three-fourths (78%) of Ugandans say women should be able to decide for themselves whether and when to marry, while two-thirds (66%) think they should decide how many children to have and when to have them.
Uganda is a signatory to international agreements promoting gender equality such as the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and regional instruments such as the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights and the Maputo Protocol. These frameworks advance women's rights and leadership roles in governance.
How well does Uganda perform on gender equality and women's empowerment? In 2024, Uganda ranked 83rd out of 146 countries on the Global Gender Gap Index (World Economic Forum, 2024). Some domains are better than others: The country placed 58th in political empowerment of women, but only 99th for economic participation and opportunity.
Building on gender-equality provisions in its 1995 Constitution, Uganda has made progress in women's political leadership through affirmative action policies that reserve seats for women in Parliament and local councils. Key legal frameworks, including the Local Government Act, the National Equal Opportunities Policy, and the National Gender Policy, have increased women's representation in government roles (Johnson, Kabuchu, & Vusiya, 2003; Government of Uganda, n.d.). Women now hold three of the country's highest offices: vice president (Jessica Alupo), prime minister (Robinah Nabbanja), and speaker of Parliament (Anita Among) (Achan, 2023). The current Parliament includes 189 women MPs (34% of the total), 14 women cabinet ministers (45%), and 24 women state ministers (48%) (Parliament of the Republic of Uganda, 2024; Tripp, 2021).
However, significant inequalities persist in other critical areas. Women in Uganda continue to face challenges in work: They are less likely than men to enter the jobs market (75% vs. 84%) and more likely to be unemployed (4% vs. 2.9%) (International Labour Organization, 2025). Although women own almost 40% of enterprises in the country, they earn on average 30% lower profits than men do, thanks to barriers such as a lack of access to capital and sectoral segregation (Puerto, 2022).
Historically, societal norms have restricted women's rights to own and manage property. The 1998 Land Act sought to improve women's land rights, but gaps in implementation mean that many women still struggle to assert ownership and control over assets (Doss, Truong, Nabanoga, & Namaalwa, 2011). Despite progressive laws intended to promote gender equality, only 16% of land in Uganda is registered in women's names, highlighting the gap between legal provisions and actual practice. The dual legal system, which blends formal and cultural laws, often results in inadequate participation of women in land management and dispute resolution, further limiting their control over assets (Tsao, 2024).
Cultural practices such as child marriage and bride price continue to undermine women's autonomy. According to the National Population and Housing Census 2024, an estimated 533,379 children aged 10-17 were reported as married or cohabiting (Luwaga, 2025).
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The 2024 Afrobarometer survey in Uganda reveals that nearly four-fifths of respondents affirm that women should have an equal chance of being elected to political office as men. Yet the proportion who favour women political leaders is the same as it was in 2005.
Men are more likely than women to hold jobs, and while a majority of Ugandans endorse gender equality in employment, more than four in 10 believe men should be given priority in hiring. Additionally, women continue to lag behind men in asset ownership across various categories, highlighting persistent gender disparities in access to resources.
Majorities approve of women's autonomy in marriage and reproduction, though substantial minorities disagree with the idea that women should decide for themselves whether and when they should marry and have children.
John Ssebunya Ssebunya John is a researcher at Hatchile Consult Ltd., the Afrobarometer national partner in Uganda.
