AD1195: Africans endorse women’s rights, and want institutions to do more to protect them

Gender equality and women’s rights are central to Africa’s development agenda. The  African Union’s Agenda 2063 outlines “full gender equality in all spheres of life” as a core  goal. This includes equal rights in property ownership, inheritance, contracting, and access to  financial services, as well as a reduction in violence against women (African Union, 2015).  Similarly, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) place gender equality at  the heart of the global development agenda, both as a standalone goal (SDG No. 5) and as a priority that intersects with all other goals (United Nations, 2015). African  governments have formally endorsed these commitments: Most countries  have ratified the 2003 Maputo Protocol on the rights of women in Africa  (African Union, 2003, 2023) and the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. 

But substantial gaps remain between these commitments and women’s  lived realities. Recent evidence suggests that progress has been uneven  and, in some areas, reversed. The Africa Gender Index reports that the continent’s economic  gender equality score declined from 61.0% in 2019 to 58.2% in 2023, reflecting worsening  economic conditions that have disproportionately affected women (African Development  Bank Group & United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, 2024). Across the continent,  women are more likely than men to work in vulnerable and informal employment, with lower  earnings and poorer working conditions. They also continue to face unequal access to land,  finance, agricultural inputs, and productive assets, despite their central role in food  production. 

Recent global estimates further indicate that progress toward gender equality remains far off  track, with discriminatory norms, unequal care burdens, and weak institutional protections  continuing to limit women’s economic and political participation (UN Women, 2025). The  2026 Women, Business and the Law Index shows only gradual progress across the African  continent, while the 2024 SDG Gender Index found that globally, no country is on track to  achieve gender equality by 2030; most sub-Saharan African countries are classified as “poor” or “very poor” environments for women and girls (World Bank, 2026; Equal Measures 2030,  2024). 

Afrobarometer Round 10 surveys, conducted in 38 African countries in 2024/2025, reflect this  mixed picture. A majority of Africans support women’s autonomy in marriage and  childbearing, but women trail men in household financial decision making. Although more  than half of citizens endorse gender equality in hiring, significant minorities report that  husbands and families prevent women from taking employment.  

Notable minorities also express concern about sexual harassment of women and girls in  public spaces, including schools. While a majority of citizens are confident that victims of discrimination or harassment who come forward will be believed, an even greater proportion  demand stronger action from the police and courts to protect women and girls against such  treatment. 

These vulnerabilities extend beyond public safety and discrimination to other critical domains  of well-being, including access to health care. Two-thirds of women say they or their families  went without medical care once or more during the previous year, with rates rising above  nine out of 10 in rural areas in some countries. 

These findings point to persistent gaps between policy commitments and implementation.  They also reveal a disconnect between broad public support for women’s rights and the  realities many women continue to face.