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The Development of Africa pp 269–288Cite as

Gender in Africa

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Part of the Social Indicators Research Series book series (SINS,volume 71)

Abstract

Gender continues to be a major issue in the development discourse worldwide. Generally, literature is replete with the marginalization of women in development strategies, hence one of the major factors that contribute to the failure of most development strategies in Africa. It is a known fact that women are economically active in Africa as farmers, workers and entrepreneurs. Yet, within patriarchal societies, they face an array of barriers that prevent them from playing an active role to their full potential to the extent that they can contribute meaningfully and sufficiently to Africa’s development. Gender and development approaches, and many authors within the context of gender and development approaches, have indicated that in bringing women to the mainstream of development, the roles of men in society in relation to women must be brought into consideration. The objective of this chapter therefore is to examine the concept of gender in Africa within a broad development framework. The research questions this chapter intends to answer include: What is gender in Africa? What are the conceptual, theoretical, and empirical and policy issues around gender and development in Africa? What is the social construct of gender in Africa? What is an African Gender Equality Index and what implications does it hold for Africa? In recent times, how does gender manifest in Africa and how has it affected the development of nations on the continent? Are African countries different or the same in terms of gender and development? How can Africa manage its gender and development issues so that inclusive sustainable development is possible in the short and long run? Evidence which includes the examination of development strategies and trajectories in some African countries will be examined. Both quantitative and qualitative secondary data will be gathered to compare, interrogate and explore the African gender and development contours across African countries. This chapter has academic, scholarly, policy and practice orientations that will lead to relevant recommendations.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, Faculty of Social Sciences, Lagos State University, Lagos, Nigeria

    Olabisi Sherifat Yusuff

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  1. Olabisi Sherifat Yusuff
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Correspondence to Olabisi Sherifat Yusuff .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria

    Olayinka Akanle

  2. SARChI Chair in Social Policy, University of South Africa (UNISA), Tshwane, South Africa

    Jìmí Olálékan Adésìnà

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Yusuff, O.S. (2018). Gender in Africa. In: Akanle, O., Adésìnà, J. (eds) The Development of Africa . Social Indicators Research Series, vol 71. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66242-8_15

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-66242-8_15

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