Political Participation of Women in Africa South of the Sahara

Abstract

In the newly independent states of southern Africa, many women have taken advantage of the political opportunities granted them in just a little more than the last decade and are now exercising political responsibilities equiva lent to those of women in the developed nations. The United Nations has contributed to this process by its impact on the constitutions of these countries and by its assistance to women through its various agencies. In twenty-nine nations south of the Sahara, women exercise their constitutional rights of suffrage. In many of these countries, women are playing a responsible role in government, judicial, and diplomatic af fairs. In Liberia, for example, where women first received suffrage and the right to hold political office in the 1940's, they are active in all branches and levels of government and in the diplomatic service. Women in southern Africa exhibit great interest in political matters, and their increasing abilities contribute much to the development of their nations.—Ed.