The conditions giving rise to feminism in Africa include the history of ancient civilizations, colonial rule and imperialism, women’s involvement in nationalist struggles, and contemporary social movements.
African activists have rejected the notion that one can subsume all feminist agendas under a Western one. African feminism was forged in the ferment of nationalism and resistance to empires; women threw their energy into nationalist movements that swept across the continent to liberate Egypt, Algeria, Ghana, Nigeria, Senegal, Guinea-Conakry, and many other nations.
Modern African feminism was solidified during the landmark UN decade for women 1975 – 1985, which resulted in feminist activism and scholarship spreading widely across the continent and diaspora. Since then, the African feminist movement has expanded in policy, legislation, scholarship, and cultural realm. African feminism voices the realities of women in varying African countries.
African women have also influenced national gender policies for over half a century. Women’s needs, reality, oppression, and empowerment are best addressed by having an inclusive and accommodating understanding of the generic and more general issues and the peculiarities and group attitudes to self-definition as women.
“Today as ever, African female activists are reshaping not just African feminist agendas but global ones as well.” Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
Women in Africa are globally leading and setting new standards for women’s political leadership. Guinea’s Jeanne Martin Cissé, Liberia’s Angie Brooks, and Tanzania’s Anna Tibaijuka and Asha-Rose Migiro have all held top positions at the UN.
Meanwhile, at a national level – Rwandan women today hold 62% of the country’s legislative seats, the highest in the world. In Senegal, South Africa, Namibia, and Mozambique, more than 40% of parliamentary seats are held by women.
There are female house speakers in one-fifth of African parliaments, higher than the world average of 14%. Women have claimed positions in crucial ministries throughout Africa. And women have increasingly run for executive positions, with Liberia, the Central African Republic, Malawi, and Mauritius all having female heads of state.
Moreover, these increases in female representation occur across the continent, including predominantly Muslim countries such as Senegal, where women hold 43% of legislative seats.
Women’s strong presence in African parliaments has resulted in new discussions about strategies to enhance female political representation worldwide.
African women have also been pioneering in business. Aspiring young female entrepreneurs today have several role models they can follow.
According to the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor, African countries have almost equal numbers of men and women either actively involved in business start-ups or in the phase of starting a new company. And in Ghana, Nigeria, and Zambia, women are reportedly more likely to be entrepreneurs than men. These changes are evident at the grassroots and, to an extent, at the highest levels.
Female representation in boardrooms worldwide is indigent, but Africa’s rate of 14.4% is only slightly behind Europe (18%) and the US (17%), ahead of Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East.
The most vital feminist outlook is that younger generations of activists are emerging throughout Africa today and redefining feminism from an African perspective. This is expanding Feminist discourse and giving African feminism a commonplace throughout the continent.
