Essay: Challenges And Strategies For Female Equality And Empowering Women In Africa.

Topic: Female Equality and Empower Female Equality and Empowering Woman in Africa

The Michelle Obama quoted the most beautiful lines for the women that are “no nation can ever truly flourish if it stifles the power of the women and deprives her valuable contribution as a dignified citizen” (Stoltz, 2013).

The current era is that men are holding the superior and dominating position in the society. They provide justification to this wretched credence that they are stronger and more capable than the women. They positioned themselves on such dominating platforms where they get a liberty to abuse women in order to curb their own inferiority of incapacity to outrival on the aspects of education, political and economic level. However, they are just fooling themselves in order to preserve their own pathetic thoughts of domination.

Women are the most beautiful creature in the universe. They hold dynamic roles in a society such as women actively act as agents of economics in Africa. Such economic agents include a high participation in the agricultural activities, independent entrepreneur’s, work as highly motivated and devoted employees in the private firms and so on. Moreover, they are known for central welfare of the household economy. Undoubtedly, the women play a vital role in their local communities and nations and need more to acknowledged their leadership attitude in today’s trend. In order to ensure their best position, women must not get burdened by the negative trait of gender inequality (Duflo, 2012).

Although the African government recognise the key contributor for empowering women and girls, women are still subject to abuse not only in workplace, families and communities but also on the level of global. In order to develop healthy and sustainable environment for women, it is important to put effective measure such as free access to family planning, lower fertility, and acceleration in the employment opportunities. For instance, the government in Nigeria delivers the education program for the benefits of family planning and other health concerns.  Such program especially run with a tag “Schools for Man” which welcome the flourishing step in fertility rate around to the per cent of 7.8 per woman (Dahlerup, 2013).

The influencing factors of health, education and employment in Africa lead to success in the development of strong and smart African Women. Such factors boost the leadership role of the women in the nation like Africa. The prominent leaders of Africa like Amina Mohammed, UN Dy. Secretary-General playing a significant role in the peace and security of the African Women.

In order to eliminate female in equality entirely from the world, one need to understand that the term “gender”. The term simply describes the construction of the core basis of social roles and responsibilities in the society. Female equality and empowerment renders a strong base of equal standing to both men and women for a purpose to establish the aspect of true independence. Such independence includes women’s own self-importance, absolute authority decision making, free access to financial opportunities and resources, liberty to lead life either in a zone of inside and outside living area and ultimately realisation of her ability to influence transformation (Jewkes & Morrell, 2010).  

Literature Review

In the present decade, the United Nation sets out the most popular and common strategy of SDG5 that is the Sustainable Development Goals mainly representing fundamental issues such as economic inequality, disparity among sex, and physical, sexual and emotional abuse against women and girls. The strategy primarily aims to achieve the gender equality and women’s empowerment by the 2030.

The Article 66 of the “African charter on human and people’s rights” (2003) depicts an exceptional protocols or agreements. The purpose of the protocol places the strong significant devotion and commitment of African Government to develop the strong approaches and strategy over gender equality and women’s empowerment. The core focus of the protocol is to eliminate all malpractices of discrimination against women and ensure that every basic right of the women is promoted, realised and protected.

Moreover, the “Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa” (2004) assures commitment to the practical implementation of the gender equality in Article 4 (l) of the Constitutive Act of the African Union. It mainly concerns to promote public campaigns against the abusing factor of gender based violence (Kim et.al. 2007).

Not even the African Government, the prominent African leaders also initiate a powerful measure for Women’s for a purpose to accelerate the practical implementation of overall promises on women equality and empowerment. Such initiatives taken place in the form of adoption of African Union Gender Policy (2009). The central theme of the policy is to enhance the strength of the African women, gender parity and overall development of the nation.

In the recent time of 2016, the report on “African Human Development” provides a comprehensive statistics. The statistics is that almost seventy per cent African Working Women are still facing economic exclusion issues.  Only the sixty per cent of the African women hold the agricultural profession. Unfortunately, only seven to thirty per cent African women are getting profiled jobs in the private firms. Hence, the report shows the negative estimation in the economic inequality.

Another factor responsible for the women inequality is the “Social Norms”. The social norms play great obstacles in the path of the African’s women progress. It restricts the women’s education and employment sources. For example, almost eighty per cent of the African women do not hold the bank accounts (Somolu, 2007).

The African women heath is another serious issue in the women inequality. The health issues are mostly severe in nature because almost 3 per cent of women are subject to sexual and physical violence according to the last year report. The other health issue is that risk in high maternal mortality raises by one per cent points (Hausmann, 2009).

In order to curb the inequality and promote the leading resources for women’s empowerment, the progressive strategic approach is required. Such catalyst approach include the adoption of systematic and organised legal reforms, build nation by the participation of the women’s in leading positions, adoption of multi-sectoral strategy in women’s empowerment and promoting the absolute ownership of the women’s.  

Further, it is recommended that several prompt measures need to be ensure in order to achieve the gender equality and women’s empowerment. Such prompt measures includes organised policies on development, addressing a proper strategy to curb mal social norms, planning of the ordered and long term strategy and ultimately adaptation of the national institution for the effective framework for women’s.  

Project Description

The most unique way to promote women’s empowerment can be achieve through creating awareness among those illiterate African woman who are incapable of getting any productive resources. Such domestic women deserve the empowerment in the terms of the availability of information and communications technologies (ICTs). The advanced services of information technology can enhance the level of living standard among those women who never been explored her life in any different manner. Such women must be provided with services of blogging so that they can become active creators globally (Moghadam, 2007).

The change is accepting in the Africa when a major measure for taken in the political arena. The journeys initiated by the year of 2003, five women were elected as the African union commission. From the last following years, Ms’ Gertude Mongella chosen as a head of the commission and she is mainly known for implementation of good governance policies in the nation. Now the African women successfully promoted many covenants which advance their fundamental rights.

It is a most important step to take care and implement that every woman must get respect. Her potential or abilities must be contributed for the purpose to develop well-being of the nation as a whole. The true efforts need to accelerate in a proper manner to elucidate the challenges like poverty, violence and disparity among sex (Hotez, 2009).

The region of Uganda made a vital step in the development of gender equality and empowerment of women in all three main spheres of the society. These three main spheres are political, economic and social. For instance- the public and private sector in the Uganda launches the most supporting policies for gender equality and empowerment. Such policies include the effective leadership of the women in the prominent multinational companies (Tembon & Fort, 2008).

Conclusion

Ms Almaz Gebru, the contry head of UNDP in Africa states that Gender equality and empowerment is an integral part of the nation.  It needs to resolve the unequal balance as it lead to great disaster in the human life. The gender equality and empowerment is a positive approach that has a progressive impact over the sustainable development of the nation (Klugman et.al 2014).

It is welcoming step of Uganda which passed the strong legislation and strategy in regard to women rights of Africa. According to national data of the last year, there is an increase in the number of girl children in the school admissions. The negative social norms are now deceasing in the east region of the Africa. The Uganda is playing a finest role day by day in order to reinforce the respectful status and potentials of the women in the community (Hallward-Driemeier & Hasan, 2012).

Some of the most prominent and memorable pioneer played a vital role in the renaissance in the African women. These are Dr Dlamini Zuma, the health minister who fought against all sort of women discrimination. Another one President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia , she made a history by record that she is the first elected female country head in Africa. Soon, she is preparing to step in the first female president in the Africa. the compatriot of sirleaf, the Leymeh Gbowee, an activist who is recently awarded by the Nobel Peace Prize in the year of 2011 (Freedman, 2007).

These above stated pioneers of the Africa are truly regarded as the strong motivation for the women equality and empowerment. These women set new boundaries in the nation. These women represents that the women are leading revolution in small ways through positive approaches. Such positive approaches include quality education, health care, peace and security, fight against abuse or violence and ultimately promoting basic understanding about sacred values of the women (Cook, 2012). Thus, the conclusion is that significance of the women equality and empowerment remains a controversial issue as it struggle regularly against negative societal norms and other challenges. The topic of Women empowerment shall treat always as a battle for betterment and wellbeing of the woman.  The disparity is an unsettled challenge that will continuously vary according to the recent trends of the society. Hence, every individual should hold a responsibility for every woman connected in their life.

References 

Cook, R. J. (Ed.). (2012). Human rights of women: National and international perspectives. University of Pennsylvania Press.

Dahlerup, D. (Ed.). (2013). Women, quotas and politics. Routledge.

Duflo, E. (2012). Women empowerment and economic development. Journal of Economic Literature, 50(4), 1051-1079.

Freedman, E. (2007). No turning back: The history of feminism and the future of women. Ballantine Books.

Hallward-Driemeier, M., & Hasan, T. (2012). Empowering women: Legal rights and economic opportunities in Africa. World Bank Publications.

Hausmann, R. (2009). The global gender gap report 2009. World Economic Forum.

Hotez, P. J. (2009). Empowering women and improving female reproductive health through control of neglected tropical diseases. PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 3(11), e559.

Jewkes, R., & Morrell, R. (2010). Gender and sexuality: emerging perspectives from the heterosexual epidemic in South Africa and implications for HIV risk and prevention. Journal of the International AIDS society, 13(1), 6.

Kim, J. C., Watts, C. H., Hargreaves, J. R., Ndhlovu, L. X., Phetla, G., Morison, L. A., ... & Pronyk, P. (2007). Understanding the impact of a microfinance-based intervention on women’s empowerment and the reduction of intimate partner violence in South Africa. American journal of public health, 97(10), 1794-1802.

Klugman, J., Hanmer, L., Twigg, S., Hasan, T., McCleary-Sills, J., & Santamaria, J. (2014). Voice and agency: Empowering women and girls for shared prosperity. World Bank Publications.

Moghadam, V. M. (Ed.). (2007). From patriarchy to empowerment: women's participation, movements, and rights in the Middle East, North Africa, and South Asia. Syracuse University Press.

Somolu, O. (2007). ‘Telling our own stories’: African women blogging for social change. Gender & Development, 15(3), 477-489.

Stoltz, E. A. (2013). Beyond the Pillow Talk: How Gender, Media and Politics Shape the Role and Legacy of First Ladies, 1961-2012. 2013 NCUR.

Tembon, M., & Fort, L. (Eds.). (2008). Girls' Education in the Twenty-First Century. World Bank Publications.