In 1960s, Africa had one of the lowest rates of political participation for women. In recent reports by the Parliament Federation, it has been shown that Rwandan women now have the highest rate of political participation in the world.In the Rwanda Congress 48.
8 percent of the congress members are female while in the rest of the continent, Six African countries are among the twenty countries with the highest rates of political participation for women.This recent development is not only with regard to political participation but also extends to other governmental functions as well as more and more African women have become ministers in their respective central governments. Nowadays, African women are walking towards the top of the political ladder from western, eastern and southern Africa.This transformation and change in the status of African women however has not come overnight.
This study therefore traces the roots of the changing status of African women from traditional societies through colonialism and post-colonialism until the present and tries to highlight the factors and the individuals that have led to these changes.The first part of this study deals with the current scenario and what the role of women is in present day Africa and notes the developments that have transpired. The second part will try to trace the evolution of these changes by mapping out the historical status of women in African society from the basic roots in the traditional societies.This will be supported by literature and records documenting that era. The next chapter will deal with the colonial era and the 1800s when women were subjected to substandard treatment as opposed to the way they are regarded in the present day.
This is followed by a brief discussion of post-colonial changes that changed the status of women and will contain a documentation of the events that have transpired since then. The final part of this discourse will try to determine the future of the status of African women in light of the current changes in political structure in not only Africa but the world as well.References:A'Haleem, Asma M. "Claiming Our Bodies and Our Rights: Exploring Female Circumcision as an Act of Violence in Africa." (In) Schuler, Margaret (ed.
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