Africa
(Democratic Republic of the Congo): Property
In 2000, much lower then 25% of
women in African were agricultural landowners. In the Democratic Republic of
the Congo only 9% are agricultural landowners. In Africa prevailing
discrimination exists against women inheriting, owning or controlling property,
land, and wealth. This discrimination can be due to civil, customary or
religious laws. Women are often associated with “nature” and in agrarian
countries are typically the managers of agriculture. This means women work the
fields, prepare, grow and harvest the food. Although they highly contribute to the
management of cultivation, they cannot actually own any of the land. Women experience social pressures that
contribute to unequal access to property. Ideologies that construct financials
and property matters as masculine associated, persuade women to believe that
these matters are above their realm, and therefore their inheritance rights
should be turned over to men. (Atlas, 86)
Poverty
Africa is en example of a country
living in extreme poverty. According to the “Atlas of Women in the World”, more
than 50% of the population lives on less than 1$ a day (2000). In the
Democratic Republic of the Congo, 30-39% of the total population is
living in deprivation. Globally, women are the majority of the worlds poor.
Women all over the world lack access to, or have limited resources to keep them
from experiencing poverty or even getting out of it. Limited ownership of
income, property and credit, are detrimental to their quality of life. This lack of resources is more significant in
poorer countries like Africa. Insufficient or no education, few employment
opportunities, lack of access to market, and HIV are some of several reasons
that women in Africa live in poverty. (Atlas, 88)
Crisis Zone
Most of Africa at one point or
another has had periods of major armed conflict or economic crisis. These
crises may consist of war, insurgency, ethnic conflicts, famine and economic
collapse. The Democratic Republic of the Congo experiences war, hunger,
kidnappings, and civil society collapse. Women experience particular burdens in
crises zones. The home-centered role that says women must take care of their
family and home only increases at a time of crisis. Unfortunately, the
resources women need to be successful in this are often diminished.
Prostitution and trafficking of women is also more prominent as the result of
armed insurgent strategy or civilian destitution. Wartime rape is regular, and
often systematic. In the democratic republic of the Congo, rape is very
abundant; tens of thousands of girls or women are raped, kidnapped or
brutalized. Close by in Rwanda, more than 15,000 women were raped in the 1994
genocide. On a positive note, in the 1990’s feminists succeeded in having war
rape be a prosecutable war crime. (Atlas, 100)
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