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Addressing Formal and Substantive Citizenship: Gender Justice in Sub-Saharan Africa

by Celestine Nyamu-Musembi

International Development Research Centre (IDRC)

2007

Document in Full Text available at:

http://www.sarpn.org.za/documents/d0002823/Formal_substantive_citizenship_Nyamu-Musembi.pdf

Introduction

This essay presents an overview of key issues in literature on gender justice, citizenship and entitlement in the sub-Saharan Africa region. The essay begins with definitions of the key terms, making a special effort to draw from literature generated within the region. The second section, constituting most of the essay, is a review of the key literature, arranged by problem areas on which the literature on gender justice has focused. Problem areas I address are:

• formal or explicit exclusion of women from full citizenship status;
• religion and custom;
• gender inequalities in property relations;
• gender inequalities in family relations;
• women's access to justice;
• sexual and reproductive health and rights; and
• gender justice in economic liberalization.

The third section is a brief reflection on links between research and advocacy on women's rights in the region. The fourth reviews key initiatives by funding organizations, while the fifth summarizes a region-wide assessment of the key achievements in and challenges to achieving and institutionalizing gender justice. The final section makes recommendations on thematic priorities for applied research from 2005 to 2008.

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