Why the campaign for reparations must put gender justice at its heart

Millions of women in the Global South earn a pittance, own no wealth or land and do far more unpaid care than men – and much of their condition today can be traced back to the economic devastation caused by both colonialism and the extractive economic system it created. That’s why any plan for redress must include justice for women. In the latest blog in our World Economic Forum series, Lurit Yugusuk and Hazel Birungi set out five ways to do that…

Oxfam’s Davos report, Takers Not Makers, powerfully sets out how the Global South continues to grapple with the devastating legacy of centuries of colonialism, systems that brought exploitation and extraction which continue to this day. It highlights the modern colonialism of a global economic system where wealth disproportionately flows to the privileged, leaving behind a trail of poverty and suffering. In 2023 alone, the report reveals, the richest 1% in the Global North were paid $263bn by the South through the financial system – or over $30m an hour.

But this economic injustice is not just racial: it is deeply gendered. For women and girls, the impact of colonial history is compounded by intersecting forms of discrimination.

Women and girls of African descent, Indigenous women, and women from other marginalised communities face gender-based violence, limited access to education and healthcare, significant wage gaps, and the extra load of unpaid care work which is particularly heavy in the South. Globally, the value of unpaid care work by women is estimated by Oxfam to be an extraordinary $10.8 trillion annually. Women also face a huge ‘gender wealth gap’: men globally own US$105 trillion more wealth than women, a disparity that looks likely to widen.

The gendered legacy of colonialism

The gender gap in income and wealth in the Global South can be traced back to colonial economic structures. These prioritised the extraction of resources from colonised nations, often at the expense of local populations. Crucially, in these systems, women’s labour – especially in agriculture and other critical sectors – was systematically devalued. That continues today, with women in the Global South disproportionately employed in low-wage, informal sectors such as agriculture or domestic work under precarious conditions. Women in the Global South also face wage gaps as high as 30% compared to men, with some sectors, such as domestic work and agriculture, showing even greater disparities.

‘Land ownership has been a primary source of power and wealth, yet women, especially in the Global South, have often been excluded from owning or controlling land.’

As the report says: “Women lost power and economic autonomy with the arrival of colonial cash crops and were excluded from the global marketplace which profited colonial corporations, while women’s contributions were treated as unpaid labour. At the same time, customary laws enshrined during the colonial period were often transcribed by colonisers based on male testimony and reinforced European notions of gender roles.”

The growing movement for reparations

The impact on women around the world is part of a historical colonial legacy that has left scars on societies worldwide. In Africa and other parts of the Global South, it has led to severe economic disparities including income inequality, limited access exacerbated by climate crises, and persistent institutional and systemic violence.

Calls for reparations for this devastating damage caused by colonialism, the transatlantic slave trade that was a core part of it, and systemic economic exploitation are growing louder.  World leaders convened last week in Davos for the World Economic Forum  as the African Union takes up its 2025 theme, ‘Justice for Africans and People of African Descent through Reparations,’

That struggle for reparations is a struggle for redress and repair for the historical injustices and damage caused by colonialism and the exploitation of enslaved peoples. What is clear is that such redress cannot happen without reparative justice for women and girls. The gendered impact of colonialism and ongoing systemic inequalities must be addressed explicitly to ensure that reparations are not just equitable but also transformative for women, particularly from marginalized communities.

How can we centre gender justice in the struggle for reparations?

How do we do this? Here are five broad areas for action that can guide reparations efforts to prioritize gender justice and promote lasting social and economic change for women;

1. Every reparations initiative must incorporate a gendered analysis, acknowledging that colonial and economic exploitation has had distinct and lasting effects on women. This includes recognizing the historical oppression of women and addressing the persistent inequities they face now. Reparations should provide targeted resources to narrow the gender wealth gap. That means investments in women’s education, healthcare, land rights (see below) and economic empowerment.
   
2. Reparations must be designed with an intersectional approach that considers the ways race, gender, and class intersect to shape the experiences of colonial exploitation. Black women, Indigenous women, and women from other marginalized racial and ethnic communities have been doubly impacted – by both racial hierarchies imposed through colonialism and patriarchal systems that subordinate women. Reparations efforts should be tailored to address the unique needs of these women, recognizing the specific ways in which their histories and struggles have been shaped by both colonial violence and gendered oppression.
   
3. Key to justice for women is recognition of unpaid care work, which has long been an invisible and underappreciated form of labour and one which colonial systems disproportionately placed on women. In many parts of the world, particularly in the Global South, women are still responsible for most domestic and caregiving tasks without compensation. Reparations must include not only financial compensation for this historically unrecognized labor but also structural changes that allow women greater access to paid work and economic independence. Additionally, reparations should involve the redistribution of care responsibilities, ensuring that women are not the sole providers of unpaid labour.
   
4. Another crucial step is ensuring women have access to land and other resources that have traditionally been controlled by men. Land ownership has been a primary source of power and wealth, yet women, especially in the Global South, have often been excluded from owning or controlling land. The restitution of land, alongside access to resources like credit, can provide women with a foundation for economic security and autonomy. Reparations must include specific provisions that guarantee women equal access to land and resources, empowering them to participate fully in economic systems and create sustainable futures.
   
5. Reparations should catalyse long-term economic transformation through the implementation of gender-just policies. These policies should address systemic issues such as unequal wages, limited access to social safety nets for women (particularly in rural or marginalized communities), and the high rates of violence women continue to face. A gender-transformative economic framework would also focus on empowering women through leadership opportunities and greater participation in decision-making processes at all levels of society.

We do not underestimate the scale of the challenge. As President Sukarno of Indonesia in his address to Bandung Conference in 1955 rightfully put it: “Colonialism… is a skilful and determined enemy, and it appears in many guises. It does not give up its loot easily. Wherever, whenever and however it appears, colonialism is an evil thing, and one which must be eradicated from the Earth.”

Both Lurit and Hazel are alumni of the African Feminist Macroeconomics Academy established by the African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET) Find more about FEMNET here

This is the latest in a series of blogs around the 2025 summit of the World Economic Forum in Davos. Catch up on all our Davos blogs here and follow us on BlueSky, Twitter/X and LinkedIn for the latest Davos content. And join our campaign to tax the super-rich here.

Read the full report for this year’s Davos summit: Takers Not Makers: The unjust poverty and unearned wealth of colonialism. And you can also read the full methodology note for the report.

This piece has also been posted on From Poverty to Power. Subscribe to the Equals Substack for more on the Davos report and inequality.