Role of Gender Equality in Development in Africa Essay Example for Free

Role of Gender Equality in Development in Africa Essay Women, especially in Africa, have not yet been included as equal and effective stakeholders in processes that determine their lives. They get subjected to less education, less employment and advancement opportunities. They have limited political representation, and as a result, they do not get a chance to contribute to crucial decision making. In addition, their contribution to national and continental development process goes unnoticed and unrewarded. A report by the World Bank in 2000 identified gender as a key issue affecting three fundamental aspects of fighting poverty in Africa; opportunities, security and empowerment (World Bank, 2000). It also recognized the positive link between gender equality and economic growth. An excellent example is the observation that women prefer that Government spending be more oriented towards the well being of children, local infrastructure, and anti poverty programs. This boosts economic growth, thus, empowering women in political processes would lead to larger allocations towards growth, enhancing Government expenditures. Further more it was discovered that, where influence of women in public life is immense, level of corruption is lower; therefore, women can effectively rule or govern. What role does gender equality play in development of Africa? Gender equality is crucial to a number of key development goals. These goals include; ensuring education for all, promoting economic growth and accountability in management of public goods and services. Stimulating economic empowerment for marginalized groups, and enhancing democracy and peace also constitute the development goals. Other relevant issues include; eliminating discrimination and violence against women, Improving maternal health, reducing child mortality, and Combating HIV/aids. Gender equality in education can have a beneficial outcome on the realization of valuable development goals. Educated women will help reduce child mortality, increase fertility and expand education for the next generation. Education is associated with high human capital and employment. These, in turn, increase economic growth directly by increasing workers’ productivity and indirectly by increasing economic growth through increased rate of return to physical investment. In terms of employment, more women should be included into the formal sector. Artificial barriers to female employment in the formal sector have contributed highly to the rising labor costs and low International competitiveness. This results from women being unable to offer their labor services at more competitive rates. Agriculture is the backbone of African economy. Women make up the majority of farmers and are the most engaged in Agriculture. To change Africa into a green revolution and eradicate hunger, disease and malnutrition, the continent should re-examine gender issues in Agriculture development. This will result in improved output on a basis that is fair and can be maintained. At the heart of Agricultural development in Africa is the strategic change through implementation of new skills and the strengthening of Science and Technology. Women should be included in credit matters. Poverty can be reduced if women gain access to loans. This is because giving loans to women will result in more money being used up on the household than is the case with men. In economic terms empowering women through micro financing has multiplier effects that include gains in human capital development through training and investment in children’s education, health etc. This has shown to yield high returns in terms of future productivity and participation in a growing economy. Infrastructure takes a leading role in development in all countries. It affects a society’s economic, social and cultural activities. Incorporating gender perceptions into infrastructure can create a positive impact on development. Women comprise 70-80% of the agricultural labor force for food crop production and processing in Africa. Many women have also ventured into small businesses to sell their farm products. Therefore, increasing their access to things like electricity and roads will lead to increased agriculture output and better food availability in markets (Buvinic, Morrison Sjoblom, 2001) Conclusion Foreign aid has not been successful in developing Africa. The current generation has the duty to formulate strategies that will help in growing the economies of Africa. Gender, Agriculture, and education represent the main entry points to break the vicious cycle of poverty. Countries that promote and invest in the social and economic status of women experience low poverty rates. For example, providing girls with secondary school education can increase their future wages by 10 to 20 %. The irony is that women and girls make up for 67% of the world’s working hours, and yield half of the global food, but they only gain 10% of the world’s income and possess less than 1% of the world’s property.