Rwanda's gendered agricultural transformation: A mixed-method study on the rural labour market, wage gap and care penalty

Rwanda's development policy focuses on socio-economic transformation with a specific focus on the agriculture sector and gender equality. Through the commercialization of agriculture, employment opportunities inside and outside the sector are expected to be created. Both women and men are integrated into this new agriculture production system. Based on a mixed-method approach, this paper provides insights into current transformations of the rural labour market. The feminization debates build the theoretical background. The empirical results show that wage employment is created almost exclusively in the informal sector, typically for casual on-field agriculture workers. It is apparent that for the same work, women earn approximately 20% less than men. Women play an important role in the rural labour market while carrying the main bulk of reproductive work. The agricultural transformation is gendered, and due to reproductive work, women do not have the same opportunities in the paid labour market. •Access to land and gender shapes the Rwandan rural labour market.•Gender wage gap was found for on-field agricultural casual workers.•For women care work is a penalty to find paid employment.