however despite widespread recognition of women s rights and the benefits that accrue to all of society from equitable treatment and access to resources and opportunities for women and men inequalities persist at the regional and national levels there is growing recognition that as african women attain higher measures of economic and social wellbeing benefits accrue to all of society despite this growing understanding removing inequalities for women has not kept pace significant gaps between men s and women s opportunities remain a major challenge and a severe impediment to structural economic and social transformation that is still the goal of all african countries