Despite progress in policy and legislation intended to end gender inequality in most African countries, the continent is still far from achieving gender equality, according to recent research by the polling organization Gallup.
A Gallup report, Gender Power in Africa, examined gender equality in Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Zimbabwe. It found women still face discrimination.
"There are a number of factors at play, including social expectations that are placed on women in these countries, and those remain barriers to participation in education and the labor market,” said Julie Ray, managing editor for world news at Gallup.
Wanjiru Gikonyo, a governance expert in Nairobi, said the inequalities are rooted in social and cultural norms and traditions that can be traced to the colonial era.
“Yes, women and girls still lag behind male counterparts in this regard," she said. "Our traditional, cultural societal structures were disrupted during the colonial period, which was a period of a very coercive use of force. And that really accentuated the marginalization that has then been imprinted into our post-colonial governments. And this marginalization then shows itself as inequality.”
Wanjiru said most constitutions in Africa have provisions for gender equality, but adherence remains a challenge.
“When it comes to power, we’re very patrimonial," she said. "So we are still dealing with a lot of patrimonialism that is very undemocratic and allows a lot of undemocratic practices to continue, and a lot of injustice to go unspoken.”
Gallup’s Ray said the imbalances act as barriers to social and economic development of women, which affects Africa’s overall development.
“Generally, access to education and participation in the labor market still remains limited compared to men," she said. "And more women participating in the workforce, more jobs, is of course a bonus for economic growth.”
The U.N. Development Program ranks sub-Saharan Africa as the worst-performing region in the Gender Inequality Index – a composite measure reflecting the disparity between women's and men’s achievements in reproductive health, empowerment and the labor market.
Ibbo Mandaza, a Zimbabwean author and governance analyst in Harare, said it would take time to change attitudes on the continent and attain gender balance. He urged women’s groups in Africa to keep leading the struggle for gender equality.
“Whatever achievements that have been made in gender equality are attributable to women movements across the continent," Mandaza said. "That struggle should be intensified, and involve males in that struggle.”
Experts say Africa has made progress toward gender equality, but much work remains to be done to ensure that women have equal economic opportunities and are free from discrimination.
