Women's rights and gender (in)equality in Sub-Saharan Africa
In this respect, I start with Zanzibari politician, Samia Suluhu Hassan, assuming the highest office in Tanzania upon the unexpected death of President John Magufuli. This development sparked analyses on political representation of women in African countries. Up until now, there were 10 women who served and are serving as the presidents of their respective countries. However, not only the majority of them came to power under extraordinary circumstances, but their aggregated terms of office is only 24 years, which is two third of the incumbency of Denis Sassou Nguesso alone, who has been the President of Congo-Brazzaville for 36 years and still counting.
Yet, political representation is one of the various spheres in which African women face inequalities and their rights are undermined. In this respect, I argue that there are three main intertwined factors; namely the patriarchal society, lack of state capacity and male monopoly on violence, which hinder the achieving gender equality and empowering of women and girls.
In this respect, most African societies, as many others across the globe, are patriarchal. Patriarchy became stronger during the colonial period and was strengthened by authoritarian leaders of independent African states. The military coups that took place in all African countries, with few exceptions, restricted the political landscape for women and deepened already existing gender inequalities. In addition, the neo-patrimonial form of authority, which is prevalent across the continent, leads to dominance of economy and politics by men, through patron-client networks.
Secondly, African states are predominantly weak states in terms of providing basic services such as health, education and creating employment opportunities. This takes a heavy toll particularly on women and girls. According to the data of the World Health Organisation, there are approximately 200 thousand cases of maternal mortality registered each year in Sub-Saharan Africa. Education of girls is another case in point. Families who either do not have means to do so, or due to the fact that higher education does not necessarily lead to decent employment, cut short their daughters’ education. Facing poverty and lack of employment opportunities, women are obliged to work, along with their husbands or in their absence, for day-to-day survival of themselves and their families. However, 83% of working women (non-agricultural) is in the informal sector, therefore having no social security or benefits.
Last but not least, coupled with the patriarchal social structure and inability of states to ensure security and justice, violence is prevalent across the continent. What is worse is that women remain the biggest victims of civil wars and conflicts in Africa. Sexual violence and rape are used as a weapon as a weapon of war in conflicts such as those in Ethiopia, Sudan, Nigeria, Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Sexual assault is a common problem even in non-conflict areas. For instance, a national emergency was declared in Sierra Leone in February 2019, due to the sharp increase in rape cases.
In conclusion, there are problems in every country and region in terms of women's rights and gender equality. But chronic problems in Africa, such as underdevelopment, poverty, and lack of state capacity make men's monopoly over political authority, economic power and violence more severe on the continent. And according to forecasts of the World Economic Forum, gender parity will not be attained in Africa for another century if it continues with the current pace.
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