Abstract
The way gender interfaces with development is a concern that has occupied the attention of development planners and feminists for some time now. The impetus for this concern is the realization that a key component for achieving development in all its dimensions is the existence of gender equality. This explains why the United Nations’ Millennium Development Goals of 2000 framed its third goal as “To promote gender equality and women empowerment”; and more recently in its Sustainable Development Goals of 2015, the fifth goal is “To achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls”. Against this backdrop, therefore, this paper attempts to accentuate the extent of gender inequality that has persisted in Africa’s social structures, and how it has so far affected development on the continent. Particular prominence is given to the ways gender inequality in Africa’s social structures have functioned to keep the continent’s development rate at a snail pace by crippling the extent of participation in the development process by women – the main victims of gender inequality. The issue of gender and its effects on Africa’s social systems and subsequently the processes that will lead up the continent’s development must be properly addressed if a highway is to be created for development to ride in Africa. Thus, among other recommendations, the paper advocates for gender mainstreaming in policies and programmes at country level on the continent.
Highlights
The goal of development is one that is of utmost importance to every contemporary society
The whole idea of gender and development sheds light on the gendered nature of social structures and institutions, and questions how fair such systems are to women compared to men, when it comes to involvement in development processes
Decades have rolled by since African countries embraced the idea of development and embarked on the mission of attaining it; and various policies and programs have been channeled in this direction
Summary
The goal of development is one that is of utmost importance to every contemporary society. The African society is one that is still comparatively strict with the enforcement of gender, and the resultant inequalities make the playing field uneven for Africa’s male and female human resources to participate in development. The worry is about how fair and equitable the gendered social institutions and structures are to women compared to men in providing them with platforms to contribute to development. The bulk of Africa’s development, over the decades, proceeded from men, with women contributing comparatively very skeletally. This means lost decades of developmental feats that would have come from women, had the social structures and institutions in the continent not been “genderized”. The basis for this chapter, is to shed light on the gender issues that create danger issues for Africa’s development
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