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Queen Mothers: Women in Leadership in Sub-Saharan Africa
[Arbeitspapier]
Körperschaftlicher Herausgeber
German Institute for Global and Area Studies (GIGA) - Leibniz-Institut für Globale und Regionale Studien, Institut für Afrika-Studien
Abstract In some precolonial regimes in sub-Saharan Africa, queen mothers ruled alongside kings. Yet, women were dislodged from leadership positions over time. Today, many countries are discussing how to boost the number of women in politics and business. Some sub-Saharan African countries are already among ... mehr
In some precolonial regimes in sub-Saharan Africa, queen mothers ruled alongside kings. Yet, women were dislodged from leadership positions over time. Today, many countries are discussing how to boost the number of women in politics and business. Some sub-Saharan African countries are already among the top 25 in terms of proportion of women in parliament, and boast above-average percentages of women on corporate boards. How did women become leaders in these sectors?
Men usually dominate in leadership positions; however, some countries have achieved impressive numbers of women in political and economic leadership by introducing affirmative policies in favour of fast-tracking women's participation. Although there are still miles to go before gender parity is finally achieved, certain countries in sub-Saharan Africa show that changing the rules of the game by implementing a mixture of affirmative policies increases the number of women in leadership positions.
Women's movements are behind the big jumps in female representation that countries in sub-Saharan Africa have made. Especially in post-war societies, women's movements have used the opportunity to push for more women in leadership. For example, the Women's National Coalition in South Africa lobbied for a gender advisory body to the Constitutional Assembly, which contributed to the Constitution now including a strong equality clause. Even though we have witnessed many women being sent back to private spaces after wars, the immediate post-war context can drastically change the social standing of women for the better.
Alongside structural factors that increase women's participation in leadership, there are also individual factors that certain women bring to the table. Wealthy and educated women often climb up the career ladder. Additionally, women who benefit from training for management and mentoring are empowered to participate in politics and business.
While it is easy to look at the global gender equity gap and shrug it off as a problem too big to solve, certain countries in sub-Saharan Africa show that rapid changes are possible when a mixture of affirmative policies is implemented, when women's movements are supported, and when women have access to education and money. International donors should promote feminist policies to increase the number of women in power.... weniger
Thesaurusschlagwörter
Führungskraft; Frau; Afrika südlich der Sahara; Gleichberechtigung; Frauenpolitik; Abgeordneter; Frauenorganisation; politische Partizipation; politische Emanzipation; politische Führung; Geschäftsführung; Management; politischer Wandel; Emanzipation; Politiker; Vorstand; Feminismus; Repräsentativität; Quote; Führungsposition; Bevölkerungsgruppe
Klassifikation
Frauen- und Geschlechterforschung
Sprache Dokument
Englisch
Publikationsjahr
2022
Erscheinungsort
Hamburg
Seitenangabe
13 S.
Schriftenreihe
GIGA Focus Afrika, 5
DOI
https://doi.org/10.57671/gfaf-22052
ISSN
1862-3603
Status
Veröffentlichungsversion; begutachtet
Lizenz
Creative Commons - Namensnennung, Keine Bearbeitung 3.0