Women face some legal and significant traditional and societal discrimination. They generally do not receive equal pay for equal work and have fewer opportunities for education and jobs in the small formal sector. Domestic violence against women is common, and female genital mutilation is widespread. Eleven labor unions operate, and workers have the right to organize and to strike with prior notice. The vast majority of Guinea-Bissau s 1.2 million citizens survive on subsistence farming.
Cashew nuts are a key export.
There are hopes for substantial oil reserves offshore, where drilling began in 1989.