Power, Gender and Social Change in AfricaGender plays a hugely significant and too often under-considered role in predicting how accessible resources such as education, wage-based employment, physical and mental health care, adequate nutrition and housing will be to an individual or community. According to a 2001 World Bank report titled Engendering Development—Through Gender Equality in Rights, Resources, and Voice, enormous disparities exist between men and women in terms of basic rights and the power to determine the future, both in Africa and around the globe. A better understanding of the links between gender, public policy and development outcomes would allow for more effective policy formulation and implementation at many levels. This book, through its discussion of the challenges, achievements and lessons learned in efforts to attain gender equality, sheds light on these important issues. The book contains chapters from an interdisciplinary group of scholars, including sociologists, economists, political scientists, scholars of law, anthropologists, historians and others. The work includes analysis of strategic gender initiatives, case studies, research, and policies as well as conceptual and theoretical pieces. With its format of ideas, resources and recorded experiences as well as theoretical models and best practices, the book is an important contribution to academic and political discourse on the intricate links between gender, power, and social change in Africa and around the world. |
From inside the book
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In Tripp's view, as already noted, women MPs in Uganda can claim some important legislative accomplishments, though fewer than might have been expected. Matembe argues that despite so many women in parliament, the body has failed to ...
As noted above, in the National Assembly 100 members are elected using a proportional representation electoral system; each party's candidate list must have at least 20 percent women with one woman's name included in every five names on ...
Thus, for example, the National Democratic Institute (NDI) has noted: “In many countries the laws ensuring women's equal participation do not exist or are weak. NDI has assisted in constitutional reform programs that help ensure ...
[One leader] noted that these women were successful particularly because they developed strategies that respected the Shari'a, or Islamic law. Second, the legal recourse is limited, as recognized now by many programs, ...
“By failing to break down the boxes that have separated rights and development, NGOs lose the potential dynamism and power that such integration offers.” IDS, p. 3. As will be noted below, this chapter paper is in part “inspired” by ...