11:30 - 13:00
Oral session
Room: Aston Webb – WG12
Stream: Gender and Sustainable Development in Africa
Chair/s:
Ezinwanyi Adam
Gender Development Policies: How reflective are they of the African Woman reality?
Hannah Muzee
Institute of Governance, Humanities and Social Sciences, Pan African University, University of Yaounde, Yaounde

Right from the 1970s, a number of development programs have been initiated to address the concern of women’s involvement and contribution to development. From WID, WAD, GAD, MDGs and to the SDGs women and gender inequality has been the focus. Although these programs have registered some significant achievement with regard to uplifting the status of women across the globe, there still is considerable disparity especially when it comes to Africa. Whereas these programs have concentrated on elevating the status of women economically, in Africa women are still grappling with their economic empowerment. This is due to the fact that there are number of factors relating to patriarchy, culture/traditional norms, stereotypes embedded in the African society that consistently militate against women’s effective economic empowerment and their effective contribution towards sustainable development. This paper is therefore based on the premise that for effective sustainable development in Africa, development policies need to go beyond providing resources and avenues to increase women’s contribution to development to actually addressing the underlying factors responsible for women’s continued oppression, discrimination and marginalization. This paper thus recommends that successful transformation of women’s status and their contribution to sustainable development will require a deliberate effort of including women’s individual and unique contribution during the planning process and implementation of these policies and the deconstruction of patriarchal traditions in the African society.

Key words: Development Projects, Inclusion, Patriarchy, Reflective, Stereotypes,


Reference:
Tu-A18 Gender and Development 1-P-001
Presenter/s:
Hannah Muzee
Presentation type:
Panel
Room:
Aston Webb – WG12
Chair/s:
Ezinwanyi Adam
Date:
Tuesday, 11 September
Time:
11:30 - 11:45
Session times:
11:30 - 13:00