THE REPUBLIC OF THE GAMBIA’S COMBINED REPORT ON THE AFRICAN CHARTER ON HUMAN & PEOPLES’ RIGHTS & INITIAL REPORT ON THE PROTOCOL TO THE AFRICAN CHARTER ON THE RIGHTS OF WOMEN IN AFRICA support services “to enable women combine family obligations with work responsibilities and participation in public life”, and protection from harmful work during pregnancy. Policy and Administration Similarly, a number of policy decisions are also geared towards effective gender representation in all Government institutions and agencies as well as the private sector. Gender equality and women’s empowerment are key factors in the development of strategies that focus on poverty reduction and an improved standard of living for people in The Gambia. The Government of The Gambia has placed gender equality and women’s empowerment as one of its top priorities in the national development agenda. The National Women’s Council and Women’s Bureau established by the Council Act of 1980, and the first National Policy for the Advancement of Gambian Women (NPAGW 1999-2009) has been formulated1. This policy provided a legitimate point of reference for addressing gender inequalities at all Government levels and among all stakeholders. A review of the NPAGW in 2006, however, necessitated a policy shift from a women’s development perspective to a gender and women’s empowerment orientation with a rights-based approach. Thus, the revised National Gender and Women’s Empowerment Policy (2010-2020)1 aims to mainstream gender in all national and sectoral policies, programmes, plans, and budgets to achieve gender equity, equality, and women’s empowerment in the development process. Men form 52% of the employment work force in the country with the formal sector of consisting mainly of the civil service, employs about 20% of the labour force with women constituting 21% of the civil service. This disparity is attributable to bias in favour of men as completion of higher education is a prerequisite for employment and women generally have low levels of education. According to the 2013 DHS report, nearly six in ten married women and almost all married men age 15 to 49 were employed in the 12 months preceding the survey. However, most women were found to earn less than their husbands but made independent decisions about their earnings. Notwithstanding the disparity in employment levels between men and women in the civil service, there is no discrimination in salary when women are employed in same position as men. 155