March 28
Gambia: The Gambia May Allow Female Genital Mutilation Again - Another Sign of a Global Trend Eroding Women's Rights
The Gambia's ban on female genital mutilation (FGM) since 2015 is under threat. Proposed changes before parliament could permit medicalised female genital cutting and allow it for… Read more »
March 13
Africa: Financial Abuse From an Intimate Partner? Three Ways You Can Protect Yourself
Financial abuse occurs when one person takes control over another person's ability to acquire, use and maintain financial resources. An example is being denied access to your own… Read more »
March 07
South Africa: Women Battle When Trying to Take Climate Change Cases to Court - South Africa and Nigeria Study Shows Why
Across domestic courts in Africa, climate cases have been decided in South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya, with some cases pending in Uganda. However, climate litigation is still fairly… Read more »
South Africa: South Africa - Women Play a Key Role in Early Childhood Learning and Care - but They Need Help Accessing University
In South Africa, the early childhood development sector is dominated by women who build creches from the ground up. These women offer services to communities that go far beyond… Read more »
February 24
South Africa: Pregnant Women in South Africa Should Be Offered Social Grants - It'll Save the State Money in the Long Run
A baby's first 1,000 days, from the time of conception until their second birthday, is a crucial window of opportunity to optimise their potential - through healthy nutrition for… Read more »
February 20
Africa: Women in South Africa's Armed Struggle - New Book Records History At First Hand
South Africa's young democracy was a culmination of years of sweat, blood and revolution against the apartheid regime. In the early 1960s, after decades of "non-violence" as a… Read more »
February 08
Africa: 'It Needs to Be Talked About Earlier' - Some Children Get Periods At 8, Years Before Menstruation Is Taught At School
Managing menstruation in public can be challenging at the best of times, but imagine being eight years old and having to deal with your period at school. You might need to change… Read more »
February 12
Kenya: Kenya's Sex Workers Have Solutions to Their Problems, but International NGOs Aren't Hearing Them
In Kenya, rights organisations run by sex workers have gone into numerous partnerships with international organisations over the past decade. In recent research, I set out to… Read more »
February 06
Nigeria: The Plight of Women Fishers in Lagos's 'Floating Slum'
Makoko, a coastal fishing community in Lagos, Nigeria, was established by fishermen in the 19th century. It is considered the world's largest "floating slum". There are conflicting… Read more »
South Africa: Zuleikha Mayat - South African Activist Who Led a Life of Courage
Few Indian South African women have achieved wider public recognition than author, human rights and cultural activist Zuleikha Mayat, who passed away on 2 February 2024. An… Read more »
January 30
Burundi: Burundi's Quota for Women in Politics Has Had Mixed Results, but That's No Reason to Scrap It
Since 2005, Burundi has set quotas to ensure that the country's three ethnic groups (Hutu, Tutsi and Twa), as well as women, are represented in its parliament, central government… Read more »
January 22
Africa: Health, Safety Compromised for People Living With Long Covid and Intimate Partner Violence
What happens when a person is experiencing long COVID and intimate partner violence at the same time? There has been no attention paid to this question anywhere in the world since… Read more »
January 19
Africa: Five Inspiring Female Composers From History You Should Listen to
I research female composers and contrary to what many people expect, women have successfully written music throughout history. It is important to learn about these musicians to… Read more »
January 15
Africa: The Shame and Pleasure of Masturbation - Poor Things Gets Girls' Early Sexual Feelings Right
This piece contains spoilers for Poor Things. Read more »
January 09
Africa: Wanting to 'Move On' Is Natural - but Women's Pandemic Experiences Can't Be Lost to 'Lockdown Amnesia'
The COVID-19 pandemic was - and continues to be - hugely disruptive and stressful for individuals, communities and countries. Yet many seem desperate to close the chapter entirely,… Read more »
December 22, 2023
Africa: Hollywood's First Major Black Female Superhero - How Wakanda Forever Broke the Mould
Black Panther: Wakanda Forever rewrote Hollywood's script for superhero movies. English professor Diana Adesola Mafe was recently involved in an academic roundtable that offers a… Read more »
December 18, 2023
Africa: How Technology Can Help Victims of Intimate Partner Violence
Intimate partner violence is a major public health concern. According to Statistics Canada, in 2018, 44 per cent of women experienced some form of intimate partner violence in… Read more »
December 10, 2023
Africa: Improved Employment Policies Can Encourage Fathers to Be More Involved At Home
While the COVID-19 pandemic had many detrimental socio-economic and health impacts, one silver lining has been the influence of remote work on men's involvement in unpaid work at… Read more »
December 07, 2023
Namibia: Apartheid in Namibia - Why Human Rights and Women Are Celebrated On the Same Day
10 December is worldwide commemorated as Human Rights Day. It marks the anniversary of the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted on that day in 1948. Many countries and… Read more »
November 30, 2023
Ghana: Ghana's Shea Industry Is Not Taking Care of the Women Behind Its Growth
Ghana's shea industry has a rich history. Shea - nkuto, karite, galam in some west African languages - is deeply embedded in the culture and tradition of the country's northern… Read more »
November 17, 2023
Africa: Physiological and Archaeological Evidence Rewrites Assumptions About Gendered Division of Labour in Prehistoric Times
Prehistoric men hunted; prehistoric women gathered. At least this is the standard narrative written by and about men to the exclusion of women. Read more »
November 08, 2023
Africa: We Blurred the Gender of Soccer Players and Had People Rate Their Performances - With Surprising Results
During the 2023 FIFA Women's World Cup, the telecommunications company Orange ran a powerful TV ad. It depicts the graceful agility and dramatic goal-scoring shots from French… Read more »
November 06, 2023
Nigeria: Nigeria's Women Vice-Chancellors - I Know What It's Like to Be One, and Why There Are So Few
The secretary-general of the Committee of Vice-Chancellors in Nigeria recently disclosed that only 38 women have been vice-chancellors of universities in Nigeria since 1960, out of… Read more »
October 06, 2023
Ghana: Theresa Kufuor - Ghana's Former First Lady Was a Quiet and Unobtrusive Champion of Change
Flags have been flying at half mast in Ghana in tribute to Theresa Kufuor, the wife of John Agyekum Kufuor, president of Ghana from 2000 to 2008. Born Theresa Mensah, the former… Read more »
September 28, 2023
South Africa: South African Men Are Much More Likely to Die From TB Than Women - Here's Why
Around the world, men are more likely to get TB and to die from it than women. Read more »