“Her Excellency”: An Exploratory Overview of Women Cabinet Ministers in Africa

Abstract

The number of women cabinet ministers in several African countries has increased recently while remaining small in others. In this exploratory overview, we investigate women’s growing presence in cabinets across sub-Saharan Africa, providing a recent ranking for women’s cabinet representation. We attempt to determine why some countries have more women ministers than others, comparing generalist versus specialist appointments and normative influences on governments. Further, we seek to determine the impact of more women ministers by investigating substantive and symbolic representation effects. We find that specialist recruitment appears to have created more ministerial opportunities for women than generalist; regional and international norms have contributed to increasing the number of women cabinet ministers in some countries; and there is evidence of substantive and symbolic representation effects of more women in cabinets in some African countries. Finally, we consider areas for future research around women cabinet ministers in Africa.