Statistics on gender in Africa, links to interesting articles, useful web sites and resources on women\\\'s rights

24.06.2004

Key facts and statistics on women in Africa

* Of the 33.6 million people living with HIV/AIDS around the world today, 14.8 million are women. In Africa, 12-13 women are currently infected for every 10 men. Among adults infected by HIV, women account for 55 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa.

* The financial and material dependence on men means that many women in Africa cannot control when, with whom, and in what circumstances they have sex. New initiatives that target economic empowerment of African women and increased sensitization of women on HIV/AIDS transmission are expected to contribute towards reversing this trend.

* In sub-saharan Africa, women comprise 60 per cent of the informal sector, provide about 70 per cent of total agricultural labour and produce about 90 per cent of the food. However, they receive less than 10 per cent of total credit to farmers.

* Women in Africa on average work 50 per cent longer than men.

* Political representation of women in Africa is on the increase. South Africa’s parliament this year registered a 10 per cent increase in women representation from 120 to 131. The overall proportion of women parliamentarians has increased to 32.8 per cent from 30 per cent in 1999. Rwanda, with 49 per cent women representation, has the highest number of women parliamentarians in the world.

* African women are increasingly playing a critical role in peace building efforts and conflict resolution in Africa. Women are developing peace initiatives at all levels and building strategic alliances on issues of common concern such as violence against women, child soldiers and disarmament.

* Even though an estimated 50 per cent of Africa’s women are illiterate, the greatest improvements in literacy rates for women since 1990 have occurred in sub-saharan Africa where literacy rates have risen from 41 per cent in 1990 to an estimated 54 per cent in 2000.

Links to background articles:

* Indigenous Women’s Rights

http://www.cpsu.org.uk/downloads/Lucy%20Mulenkei.pdf

* Inheritance Rights

http://www.hrlawgroup.org/initiatives/inheritance_rights/default.asp

* Sexual Rights and the Commission on Human Rights
http://www.whrnet.org/docs/issue-sexualrightscommission.html

* Marriage

http://www.whrnet.org/docs/issue-marriage.html

* Gender based violence and human rights

http://www.whrnet.org/docs/issue-genderviolence.html

* Globalisation and women

http://www.twnside.org.sg/women.htm

* Women’s rights and land rights
http://web.africa.ufl.edu/asq/v7/v7i4a1.htm

* Gender and education
http://www.choike.org/nuevo_eng/informes/1247.html
http://www.id21.org/

* Health reforms and women’s health
http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC14862

* Securing indigenous women’s rights and participation
http://www.unifem.org/filesconfirmed/2/355_at_a_glance_indigenous_women…

* Women in Law and Development in Africa, West Africa/
Femmes, Droit et Développement en Afrique (WiLDAF-FeDDAF) Afrique de l'Ouest
http://www.wildaf-ao.org

* Women and water http://www.unifem.org/filesconfirmed/2/351_at_a_glance_water_rights.pdf

* Women and the MDG’s
http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC13576

* Violence against women and HIV/AIDS http://www.eldis.org/cf/rdr/rdr.cfm?doc=DOC14547

* Trade liberalisation and African women http://www.siyanda.org/static/genta_tradeafrica.htm

* Sexual and reproductive health
http://www.planetwire.org/details/4513

* Sexualities and sexual rights
http://www.whrnet.org/docs/issue-sexualities.html

* Gender, rights and water privatisation
http://www.un-instraw.org/en/news2.phtml?id=785

* Polygamy
http://www.ipsnews.net/africa/interna.asp?idnews=24300
* The Optional Protocol on African Women's Human Rights: Does if protect our rights?
http://static.highbeam.com/f/femnetnews/january012002/theoptionalprotoc…

* States' obligation to make rights a reality
http://web.amnesty.org/aidoc/aidoc_pdf.nsf/Index/ACT770492004ENGLISH/$F…

Links to women’s organisations

* Abantu for Development
http://www.abantu.org/

* African Gender Institute
http://www.uct.ac.za/org/agi