African Perspective on Feminism

The nineteenth and early twentieth centuries marked the first wave of feminism. We are now in the 21st century and the fight for feminism continues with more women fighting towards the same cause for gender equality. The main goal across continents has been to dismantle partriachal systems, however, the differences in geographical location have made the rates of attaining gender equality difficult to judge. The rate at which Africa is advancing the case for feminism is much lower than other continents and this can only be attributed to differences in context and location.

Feminism has proved to be a contextual movement which should be tackled accordingly. Women in different societies are subjected to different challenges: women in North Africa fight more against traditional practices such as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM), whilst women in Europe fight more to enter political spaces. These are both fights against patriarchy but their intensity differs according to region. “Gender remains a social construct which defines and differentiates the roles, rights, responsibilities, and obligations of men and women”(Grown, et al.). Gender plays a significant role in determining one's livelihood. Women happen to be the most vulnerable group as they have limited opportunities to perform activities based on their potential. This is one of the challenges all women across the globe face.


One of the major challenges African women face in advancing feminism is tradition. Culture is a major attribute of African identity. It is passed down to each new generation and is meant to uphold the values of a particular lineage, keeping the family spirit alive. Women are exposed to more pressures from the African society as they are required to bear a lot of children to carry the family lineage. Most women have no choice at all. Cases of child marriages are on the rise with young girls being forced into marriage before completing their education. Bádéjọ Diedre acknowledges that African feminism recognizes the “inherent, multiple role of women and men in reproduction, production and the distribution of wealth, power, and responsibility for sustaining human life”. However, all these factors suppress the rights of African women as they are not considered equal to men. Inequality due to traditional practices has made it difficult for women to advance feminism.

Following the case against tradition, religion is also a major stumbling block in the path towards feminism. Most religions support partriachal systems, preventing women from speaking out against any injustices they experience. Religion has made more women face sexual harassment from religious figures all in the name of supporting the doctrine. If women try to expose any sexual criminals with religious affiliations they are accused of wanting to disrupt religious systems, or falsely accusing ‘men of cloth’. Women have no voice or power in the African society. Their contributions are not regarded important as those of male figures in society. Some women even shun fellow women when they try to expose any violations they would have faced. Religion has normalized the suppression of women making it difficult for women to embrace their “femininity, beauty, power, serenity, inner harmony, and a complex matrix of power” (Bádéjọ Diedre). Until religious sects accept that women are to be treated the same as men and not suppressed, the case for gender equality is still far from being achieved in Africa.

African women also face a challenge in advocating for gender equality in the political space. Women have gained minimal recognition in the political sector. Currently, Africa only has one female Head of State out of 54 countries. That is only 0.02% of all the Heads of States in Africa, a clear indication that women are not equally represented in politics. March 2020 Namibia appointed its first youngest female Deputy Minister for Information Technology, Emma Theofelus. Asked if she would be able to cope with her new role she said, “I do not think being young and female has anything to do with this appointment; anyone is able to learn, understand, and acquaint themselves with a new task.” She was already subject to discrimination for being both young and female. Many women distance themselves from political spaces due to fear of segregation and harsh treatment for wanting to be women of power. There is a lot of name calling and cyberbulling which comes with female participation in politics. It requires strong, resilient, and focused women. If only men could work as partners with women to bring about social change, then the case for feminism would be easier to achieve (Grown ,et.al).


African women also face major challenges in the economic sector. Most women flood the informal sector; selling vegetables, plaiting hair, or cleaning street pavements. A few women have managed to navigate harsh economic systems and manoeuvre to lead big enterprises. However, the majority still faces unemployment and survives on small profits from minor jobs. For the fortunate women who have managed to gain top leadership positions in big companies, they can attest that the process is never easy. It comes with a lot of criticisms and accusations. Women are still not regarded capable enough to run big entities even with better qualifications than male figures. Patriarchy is still very strong in Africa and it has hindered a lot of women from achieving their dreams. “Oakey (1981) suggests that feminism is about putting women first, prioritizing their interests, and representing those interests in every sphere of life” (Gaidzanwa). Without putting these three into action, it will be difficult to create a feminist atmosphere in Africa.

African women are facing more political, economic, and social problems which are hindering them from advancimg the work for equality amongst both men amd women. Women face a lot of criticism, harrassment and discouragement when they try to speak out or occupy space in society. African feminism is still far from being fully achieved.