Gender and governance in Africa: the case of Kenya, South Africa and Zimbabwe

Abstract

This proposal assesses the situation of gender and governance in Kenya, South Africa, and, Zimbabwe and suggests the policy recommendations that are needed to enhance participation in future. The problem statement of the research is that while there is a rise in the political commitment regarding this matter, and also an increase in the number of constitutional and legal reforms aiming at attaining gender equality, significant gender gaps still exist in all domains of life across the globe and especially. The major objective of the research is to determine the factors that influence gender equality in leadership and how equal representation promotes development in Africa. Some of the research questions to be answered include whether political and economic factors have an influence on gender equality in leadership, and how the cultural factors influence marginalized group participation in political leadership. Moreover, the study seeks to identify the extent with which political factors in Kenya, Zimbabwe, and South Africa influence the participation of marginalized group in political leadership. The basic assumptions of the study are that gender equality is good for governance, equal representation promotes development, gender affects good governance and without gender equality, governance cannot function effectively. The data collection procedures include the use of secondary data from journals, books, and other articles using various databases such as PubMed, Library among others. Primary sources were also utilized in the study. According to the findings, there existed differences between gender and political ideologies. This outcome has both policy and theoretical implication on the underrepresentation of women in governance.