Understanding Gender and Sustainable Development

Gender inequities constitute a very controversial subject today especially in Africa where it lias virtually become a way o f life. While some scholars argue that gender imbalance in society is natural, since, according to them, fem ales are naturally inferior to males, feminist writers have in recent years joined forces with the women fo lk to press for gender equity. Gender disparity in society is indeed a sensitive issue in Africa in that the position and status o f women are implicitly defined in the dominant patriarchal value system. Thus any approach to change in the situation must reflect and interrogate value systems and perceptions em bedded in the prrocess o f socialisation. Women in all societies should be given enough freedom to compete with their male counterparts in all spheres o f life. The development o f society requires the collaborative efforts o f both men and women, and women who have been m arginalised in the past should now be encouraged to rise to the challenge o f making significant contribution to sustainable development