Where does Africa stand on the road to gender equality?

DW (English)

While progress has been made toward achieving gender equality in Africa's political, economic and social spheres, there's still a long way to go. A changing world brings both new opportunities and new challenges.

Transcript

00:00Across Africa, more women than ever are stepping into political leadership.

00:05This is because remarkable strides have been made towards equality

00:09since a wave of African nations became independent in the 1960s.

00:13Women's rights are now part of national agendas in most sub-Saharan African nations,

00:19women-led businesses are driving economic growth,

00:22and there's even a rising female presence in media.

00:25Yet despite this progress,

00:27gender-based violence perpetrated by men is a growing concern.

00:31The numbers are shockingly high.

00:34According to the United Nations, roughly one in three women globally

00:38experience physical violence by an intimate partner.

00:42And Africa, as a region, records the most femicides.

00:45The real figures may be even higher as many of these cases go unreported.

00:50Women are not safe.

00:51We need to just let women live.

00:53We do not want to be saved.

00:56It's not about being protected.

00:58It's just about being left to exist in peace and without worrying about our lives.

01:03These words reflect a dark reality.

01:06As more women take on leadership roles,

01:08gender-based violence is also on the rise,

01:11and systemic barriers to political participation persist.

01:15Wars and conflicts, like those in Congo and Sudan,

01:18make things even worse, causing deep harm to women and children.

01:23So while this progress is happening,

01:25challenges like violence, patriarchy, and strict gender roles still stand in the way.

01:30Things that do not stand in the way of men.

01:32Women were not trusted to be in the highest position of governing in any country.

01:42One of the challenges is people who still have that perspective

01:47of no women in higher positions.

01:50For women, it's a lot harder to have that capital to vie for a political seat.

01:55It's also one of the most expensive things to do in this country.

01:59Vying for a political seat is very expensive, even for the lowest seat as a council.

02:04A lot of them disowned and the harassment they receive,

02:08which is just not online, digitally, but also physically.

02:12Women face extreme cyberbullying,

02:15from online harassment to the growing trend of revenge porn.

02:19So while the great gains made by women in politics,

02:22business, and media are worth celebrating,

02:25society still has some major catching up to do.

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