[6] Still, domestic abuse, sexual violence, lack of social mobility, and aforementioned health crises are persistent issues.

Social and economic movements, like the mass immigration of men to South Africa, and the rise of the garment industry, have contributed to both the progress and problems facing women in Lesotho today.

[7] The 1.6 ratio is more reflective of a society in which women outnumber men in the general population than of significant progresses in education.

[7] Some remaining problems in women's education include high dropout rates, lower school performance, and expense.

[7] For decades, Lesotho's economy has struggled with high unemployment, falling household income, and about 60% of the population living below the national poverty line.

[citation needed] While restricted to the domestic sphere, they were contributors to the national economy in industries like agriculture, animal herding and cottage-industry manufacturing.

[citation needed] However, over time women have begun to enter the formal workforce in higher numbers.

[9] According to a report from the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, women make up the majority of the highly skilled workforce.

[9] The economy of Lesotho was historically, and still is, based in subsistence agriculture, however there has been a significant rise in textile manufacturing.

[10] Men were the owners of the largest small businesses surveyed, while women were more likely to own "survivalist enterprises.

[12] The industry has become increasingly prevalent following the African Growth and Opportunity Act, promising favorable trade agreements with the United States.

[13] However, according to the labor rights non-profit Better Work, Lesotho workers reported discrimination based on ethnic origin, favoring Basotho people rather than migrants.

[12] This is exacerbated by the segregation of genders by position, with women predominantly working in "unskilled and labor-intensive" jobs, aligning with cultural interpretations of female capacity.

[17] Necessary is defined by Section 45 of the Penal Code as "conducted by a registered medical practitioner to protect the health of the expectant mother, where the unborn child would have severe mental defects and when the pregnancy is a result of rape or incest.

[19] However, a CNN investigation found that abortions are still performed on a significant portion of the population, and many are attained via social media.

However, according to one Lesotho Minister of Gender and Youth, Thesele John Maseribane, this problem is difficult to combat due to "a culture of silence and stigmatization associated with the scourge.

[23] The issue of sexual violence against women has been identified as one of the contributors to the AIDS crisis and HIV gender gap.

[25] In the federal government, representation has decreased over time, with women holding 22.5% of the seats in the National Assembly and 22% of minister positions in 2017.

[4] According to USAID, the law broadens the definition of rape to include "engaging in sexual relations, which includes the exposure of genitalia, conducting a sexual act in the presence of another and the insertion of animate or inanimate objects into another without their consent, or the ability to give consent in the case of children and the disabled.

[27] If the rapist is found to be HIV positive, and knowingly infected their victim, they are liable to the death penalty, with a minimum sentence of eight years in prison.

[25] Before the Legal Capacity of Married Persons Act was passed, women were considered children in the eyes of the law.

[4] In an effort to combat the growing issue of human trafficking, Lesotho passed the Anti-Trafficking in Persons Act in partnership with the Palermo Protocol of the United Nations.

[4] The government of Lesotho still does not meet minimum requirements set by the United States to combat human trafficking, but this legislature was considered a step towards fully addressing the problem.

"[4] The act protects victims from persecution for crimes committed while being trafficked, including prostitution and drug offenses.