CONCLUSION
Overall, the regional variation found in the women’s household rights and decision-making indicators analyzed here parallels the diverse histories and current political, economic, and social realities of each sub-region as well. Of course, this analysis can go even deeper into any single country’s unique circumstances which influence the rights of women within it. However, finding trends at the sub-regional level is important in being able to distinguish trends without falling into the trap of seeing the entirety of Sub-Saharan Africa as a monolith in terms of progress towards gender-based equality. Understanding regional variation and target areas is the first step in expanding the protections, freedoms, and rights for women overall.
Future Work
Moving forward, it is important to acknowledge the profound depths of work in women’s empowerment and gender equality. In this project, we focused on one category of rights–those related to women’s decision-making capacities in the household. To gain a more comprehensive understanding and target other dimensions of women’s rights in the region, we can look to other indicator categories, such as rights related to travel, sex and sexual autonomy, career, etc. We can also look towards young girls in this process and analyze gender-based inequalities in education. Additionally, it would be important to gain a grasp of when and how women in those regions where rights are limited contest their situations. It is also important to acknowledge that significant amounts of work have already been done. Groups such as Make Every Woman Count (MEWC), based online, and the Asante Africa Foundation which works in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda, seek answers to these questions while navigating the law, social, political, and economic regional contexts to contest them. Learn more about these groups here:
