L'égalité des sexes

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Gender equality and women’s political engagement in Malawi

At a glance

  • A majority of Malawians say the government has performed well in promoting opportunities and equality for women. But citizens are divided as to whether there has been progress on women’s rights in recent years.
  • Strong majorities of Malawians say women should have the same chance as men to be elected to office and the same rights as men to own and inherit land.





A majority of Kenyans say the country has made progress toward gender equality, but below-average support among men and lagging political engagement among women point toward remaining challenges, according to new Afrobarometer findings released on International Women’s Day.

Popular perceptions that girls and women have a fair chance at education and jobs, that gender violence is never justifiable, and that women should be accorded a fair shot at being elected are in line with perceived progress toward gender equality, the new survey data show. 





AD87: Reaching for equality: Zimbabweans endorse gender equity in politics but say citizens treated unequally before the law


Equality is a principle enshrined in Zimbabwe’s Constitution and legal system, which seek to guarantee both gender equity and equal treatment for all – regardless of class, religion, or race – before the law. According to Section 3(1) of the Constitution, “recognition of the equality of all human beings” is one of the country’s founding principles.





BP131: Examining government and public officials’ accountability and responsiveness

This briefing paper assesses citizens’ perceptions of government and public officials’ accountability and responsiveness using the first Afrobarometer survey data collected in Sierra Leonean in 2012. This survey and analysis comes against a backdrop of a public outcry in response to poor financial management practices in key government agencies and departments as documented in the 2012 Auditor General’s Report.


BP147: Gender equality and the participation of women in public office in Swaziland

Despite major efforts over the past two decades to create equal opportunities for women to participate in politics and to increase female representation in government leadership in sub-Saharan Africa, women's inclusion continues to be a major challenge.According to the United Nations Millennium Development Goals Report 2013,the proportion of seats held by women in single or lower houses of national parliaments in sub-Saharan Africa increased by just 8 percentage points between 2000 and 2013, from 13% to 21%.


BP16: Is There a political gender gap in Uganda?

Do men and women in Uganda think differntly about the political transition underway in their country?

At first glance, the Round 3 Afrobaromter survey of a random sample of 2400 adult Ugandans in April/May 2005 seems to reveal substantial gender gaps in public opinion on key political and constitutional questions. This brief paper reports the extent of, and trends in, these gaps. It also explores, in preliminary fashion, whether differences in opinion between men and women are due to gender or some other social characteristic, such as education. 


AD12: Basotho less supportive of women’s political leadership, opposed to traditional chieftain role

Basotho women still find it hard to attain leadership positions due to discriminatory cultural practices and laws, Afrobarometer’s most recent survey shows. Survey results also suggest that women are less active than men in community and political organising.

Support for women’s political leadership declined from 2012 to 2014, and even though two-thirds of women say that women should have the same chance as men of being elected to political office, a majority of women and men still support the law that allows only sons to succeed to chieftaincy in Lesotho.


AD14: In Malawi, women lag in political participation; support for women’s leadership declines

Despite having been led by southern Africa’s first female president, Malawi has made little progress toward equal political participation by women, Afrobarometer’s most recent survey suggests. Women in Malawi remain less likely than men to engage in political activities, and public support for women’s leadership has declined.


AD20: Zambians overwhelmingly disapprove of domestic violence and corporal punishment

An overwhelming majority of Zambians say they are opposed to physical violence as a way to discipline women and children, Afrobarometer’s most recent survey reveals. Disapproval of wife battering is so widespread in Zambia that there is little or no difference in views across genders, urban/rural locations, or education levels.

Opposition to corporal punishment of children, both at home and at school, is also the majority view, though less widespread than disapproval of physical discipline of wives.


PP22: Gender equality in Burundi: Why does support not extend to women's right to inherit land?




Despite being led by a female president for almost two years, Malawian women are less likely to be involved in political discussions and show less interest in public affairs than their male counterparts, according to a 2014 Afrobarometer survey.

Women in Malawi are also less likely than men to attend a political rally or campaign meeting, to persuade others to vote for a candidate, and to work for a political candidate.

Survey results show a sharp decline in public support for women’s political leadership.






Gender quotas to increase women’s representation are often motivated by the assumption that men and women have different policy preferences. In Africa – where gender quotas have been particularly widespread – we find that gender differences in preferences are quite small on average, but vary significantly across both policy domains and countries. We propose a theoretical framework for differentiating policy domains where preference divergence indicates increased gender parity from those where it signifies growing inequality.


Les femmes Africaines moins actives en politique et la peur des violences de campagne

Le soutien des Africains pour l'égalité des femmes est de plus en plus répandu, mais la réalité de chaque jour pour de nombreuses femmes reste caractérisée par le fait qu’elles font l’objet de désavantage et de discrimination. Et tandis que la plupart des gouvernements africains obtiennent généralement de bonnes notes pour leur performance dans l'autonomisation des femmes, la lutte pour l'égalité des droits et des chances pour les femmes est loin d'être gagnée surtout pour les femmes en Afrique du Nord.