The Interrogative Approach to Gender Mainstreaming as a Vehicle to Women Development in Africa

The gap between policy development and implementation is often wide. Governments and organizations develop policies which are attractive on paper and which are often not well implemented; one of such policies is on gender mainstreaming. Gender mainstreaming is an important strategy which can bring about the up-liftment of women if well implemented and monitored. However, systems in various organizations make it difficult for the successful implementation thereof. Laws in developing economies are not yet favourable to women. Women are still living in hard conditions and are often overlooked when employment opportunities arise. Fewer women have the privilege of moving up the economic and political ladders. Most women still face challenges in accessing education, credit, ownership of land and businesses. Therefore this compels one to interrogate the policies and strategies that are in place, and which were meant to uplift women, as to whether they are effective or not. The discourse in this article focuses on the implementation of gender mainstreaming as a means of achieving women emancipation and economic development in Africa. The arguments are presented under the précis that development and economic freedom are embedded in equal opportunities and access. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n27p143