Revisiting Boserup’s Hypotheses in the Context of Africa

Abstract

Keywords Human development · Gender gap index · Status of women · Total fertility rate IntroductionThe role of African women in the community and national development process cannot be overemphasised, and it was the work of Ester Boserup on women and development (Boserup 1970) that pioneered this perspective. Until today, women remain the pillars of the household during times of economic hardship and crisis. They are often the ones who devise strategies to sustain their families and who work the extra hours it takes to put these plans into practice. In addition to their informal work, African women are also involved in formal employment and play a particularly prominent role in the agricultural sector. Boserup (1970) referred to Africa as the region of female farming "par excellance". In 1980, 44 % of the population economically active in the agricultural sector were female, increasing to 48 % by 2009-a proportion noticeably higher than women's general share in employment (38 % in 1980(38 % in and 41 % in 2009(38 % in , all data: FAOSTAT 2012. However, this high share in employment does not translate into an equal standing of women workers in agriculture compared to their male counterparts. The International Labour Organization (ILO) notes that women are generally faced with more vulnerable forms of employment, own less than 1 % of the land, have limited access to technology, and often earn significantly less than male agricultural workers (ILO 2009).The following chapter highlights the relevance of Ester Boserup's hypotheses for women's empowerment in Africa, reassessing the status of African women today. We attempt to answer the following questions: Does gender inequality in ownership N. M. Nwakeze ( )