As the saying goes, the African woman is like “a rare flower, she blooms with the right amount of love and care”, beautifully created with a strong mind, high resilience, warmth, tenderness, intelligence, and compassion.
However, in known African history, women have faced numerous challenges that have hindered their progress at individual and societal levels and at various stages of their lives. These challenges comprise a range of social, economic, and cultural barriers that have limited their opportunities and potential.
However, recently, African women have shown incredible resilience, strength, and determination in overcoming these challenges. Some of these include;
1. Limited Formal Educational Opportunities:
In the past years, access to formal education for African women was limited, unlike male education which was prioritized, leaving women with limited skills and knowledge from formal education, with the old saying that “A woman’s place is in her husband’s kitchen.” However, today, efforts have been made to improve access to education for girls across the continent. By creating policies on inclusive educational policies and initiatives, African countries are empowering and encouraging women to acquire the knowledge, skills, and qualifications necessary for personal and professional growth.
2. Gender Inequality and Discrimination:
Discrimination against women has been deeply ingrained for so long in African history, resulting in limited participation in economic opportunities and social rights without subjecting African women to sexual intimidation to grow or get promoted in their field of work.
Overcoming this challenge requires promoting gender equality through legal frameworks and policies that protect women’s rights, eliminate discriminatory practices, and provide equal opportunities. Even though these have been addressed in recent policies, they still play out in our society, relegating women to the give-and-take strategy before obtaining their rightful dues.
Empowering women through leadership training and mentorship programs, especially from a young age, helps build the girl-child’s confidence, and helps her know her rights and how she can achieve her societal ambitions to defy the norms.
3. Proper Maternal Health Care:
African women have often faced significant barriers in accessing a quality healthcare system, resulting in higher rates of maternal mortality and limited access to sexual education. Overcoming these challenges involves access to comprehensive healthcare systems that promote health education, provide access to family planning services, and ensure the availability of safe and well-equipped birthing facilities. Increasing awareness and education on sexual and reproductive health also play a crucial role in empowering African women to make informed decisions regarding their bodies and lives.
5. Domestic Violence:
Violence against women and girls remains a significant challenge in many parts of Africa. Violence from spouses, guardians, and employers amongst others, is another menace in the society that is still spreading like wildfire despite the laws put in place to overcome them. More stringent laws and consequences need to be put in place, especially with public implementation as well as more awareness and encouragement for women to speak out and not feel weakened by societal pressure or intimidation from speaking their truth. We need to establish safe spaces and shelters for survivors, promote community dialogue and support groups, and empower women to report and seek justice for cases of violence and exploitation.
6. Confidence in her skin: The African woman is constantly made to feel ashamed of her beautiful black skin and curvy build. She’s then persuaded and tilted to believe fairer coloured skin is better for her at the expense of her health -through exposure to carcinogenic skin whitening chemicals- to feel good about herself & achieve the confidence she craves.
For a long time, the African woman has faced various challenges that have hindered her personal and communal development. However, with increasing recognition of her rights and aspirations, significant strides have been made towards overcoming these challenges. Through collaborative efforts between governments, civil society organizations, and individuals, there is the realization of better opportunities for African women. African societies are working towards a promising future that celebrates and supports the advancements of the African queen.
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