Achieving Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Sub-Saharan Africa: Lessons from the Experience of Selected Countries

Moyo, Theresa; Dhliwayo, Rogers

doi:10.1177/0169796x19845957

Cited by 15 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 10 publications

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“…Women's participation in decent work is essential for sustainable development, reducing poverty, and improving the health of women and their families [1][2][3][4]. The many hours spent at work also makes workplaces important sites which can support, or undermine, health [5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Menstrual health challenges in the workplace and consequences for women’s work and wellbeing: A cross-sectional survey in Mukono, Uganda

Hennegan

Bukenya

Makumbi

et al. 2022

PLOS Glob Public Health

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This study describes women’s menstrual health needs at work in Uganda and explores the associations between unmet needs and women’s work and wellbeing. We undertook a cross-sectional survey of women working in marketplaces, public primary schools, and health care facilities in Mukono district, central Uganda. Survey questions were designed to capture women’s experiences of managing menstrual bleeding, pain, social support, and the social environment. A total 435 women working in markets, 45 teachers and 45 health care facility workers participated. Of these, 15% missed work due to their last period, and 41% would prefer not to work during menstruation. Unmet menstrual health needs were associated with consequences for women’s work and psychological wellbeing. Experiencing menstrual pain (aPR 3.65 95%CI 1.48–9.00), along with the use of improvised menstrual materials (aPR 1.41 95%CI 1.08–1.83), not feeling comfortable to discuss menstruation at work (aPR 1.54 95%CI 1.01–2.34) and the expectation that women should stay home when menstruating (aPR 2.44 95%CI 1.30–4.60) were associated with absenteeism due to menstruation. In contrast, not having menstrual management needs met (aPR 1.45 95%CI 1.17–1.79) and the attitude that menstruating women are dirty (aPR 1.94 95%CI 1.50–2.51), along with pain (aPR 1.59 95%CI 1.12–2.24) and norms around absenteeism were associated with wanting to miss work. After adjustment for age and poverty, unmet menstrual management needs (b = -5.97, 95%CI -8.89, -2.97), pain (b = -3.89, 95%CI -7.71, -0.08) and poor social support (b = -5.40, 95%CI -9.22, -1.57) were associated with lower wellbeing measured using the WHO-5. Attitudes that menstruation should be kept secret (b = 4.48, 95%CI 0.79, 8.17) and is dirty (b = 4.59, 95%CI 0.79, 8.40) were associated with higher wellbeing. Findings suggest that supporting care for menstrual pain, addressing secrecy surrounding menstruation and the perception of menstruation as dirty, and improving access to materials and facilities for managing menstrual bleeding are avenues for programs and policies to support working women.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Menstrual health challenges in the workplace and consequences for women’s work and wellbeing: A cross-sectional survey in Mukono, Uganda

Hennegan

Bukenya

Makumbi

et al. 2022

PLOS Glob Public Health

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“…The race to achieve gender equality is as important a goal for the development agenda as it is for every other goal (Koissy-Kpein, 2020). Considering the progress that has been made towards achieving gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), there still exists evidence confirming that gender disparities remain persistent in most countries (Moyo & Dhliwayo, 2019).…”

Section: Gender (Goal 5)mentioning

confidence: 99%

Why the Sustainable Development Goals Matter in Africa?

Bolaji¹,

S.S.²

2022

African Journal of Economics and Sustainable Development

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The singular purpose of this study is directed at answering a fundamental question and its immediate focus would be on Africa. The question is premised on why the Sustainable Development Goals matter as well as revealing its importance to the continent of Africa and Africans. A qualitative research method was adopted during the study. The findings revealed that sustainable development matters, and serve as a necessity in closing certain gaps of the human living index in Africa. Many Africans especially in the rural environment are not aware of the sustainable development goals. Thus, Africa needs more education, information, workshops and seminars to enlighten the people on the importance of the SDGs. This study also showed that the participants interviewed do not know how to drive and achieve the SDGs in the urban area. Finally, unanimously, the respondents agree that poverty, food insecurity, gender and infrastructure development are the major challenges facing the continent. Thus, the Sustainable Development Goals become a matter of necessity for Africans, therefore it matters. The limitation of this study is that it was carried out in just three countries in Sub-Saharan Africa. Therefore, the generalized study results about Africa are only limited to a few African nations. It was challenging gathering data as most participants were reluctant about providing information based on trust deficit prevalent in the continent. Some participants altogether felt uncomfortable participating in the research.

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“…Women empowerment has since been considered as critical policy measure for achieving a peaceful, prosperous, and sustainable world (Moyo & Dhliwayo, 2019). On this note, harnessing women's potentials through entrepreneurship have huge consequences on livelihood of individuals, community, and a nation (Raghunandan, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Women Empowerment through Entrepreneurship in Violent-conflict Settings: Challenges and Opportunities

Mohd-Nor¹,

Ali²

2022

IJARBSS

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Empowering women through entrepreneurship in violent-conflict contexts not only improves socioeconomic welfare of women but also help in restoring peace and social inclusion in society. This paper aims at exploring the challenges and opportunities facing women empowerment through entrepreneurship in violent-conflict contexts. A qualitative research approach is employed for achieving the objective of the study. Data for the study were collected through an in-depth semi-structured interview and participant observation. A total number of twenty-three (23) participants were purposely selected from five different communities affected by Boko Haram insurgency in Northeast Nigeria. The major findings of the study revealed that the challenges facing women an entrepreneur in a violent-conflict context is multifaceted and efforts to curtail these challenges also require a comprehensive and all-inclusive approach. The study further revealed that apart from the numerous challenges, violent-conflict environment also presents wide range of opportunities for exploitation. The study recommends that a more gender-sensitive entrepreneurship program is needed to achieve a sustainable peace in violent-conflict settings. Also, the need for adequate orientation for targeted beneficiaries towards achieving purposeful women empowerment programs.

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Achieving Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Sub-Saharan Africa: Lessons from the Experience of Selected Countries

Cited by 15 publications

References 10 publications

Menstrual health challenges in the workplace and consequences for women’s work and wellbeing: A cross-sectional survey in Mukono, Uganda

Menstrual health challenges in the workplace and consequences for women’s work and wellbeing: A cross-sectional survey in Mukono, Uganda

Why the Sustainable Development Goals Matter in Africa?

Women Empowerment through Entrepreneurship in Violent-conflict Settings: Challenges and Opportunities

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