ZANZIBAR – Discriminatory social norms, unequal power relations and growing gender-based violence continue to undermine women’s participation in political leadership across Africa, despite progress in representation and the adoption of laws promoting gender equality, United Nations and European Union officials have warned.
Speaking at the opening of a two-day Inter-Regional Dialogue on Advancing the Transformation of Gender Social Norms to Enhance Women and Youth Participation and Representation in Leadership and Decision-Making in Zanzibar, UN Women Representative in Tanzania, Julia Broussard, said women’s political representation remained disproportionately low, with entrenched attitudes continuing to influence who gets opportunities to lead.
Broussard said women occupy just over a quarter of parliamentary seats across sub-Saharan Africa, while in Tanzania they account for approximately 38 per cent of Members of Parliament.
However, she warned that progress in representation had not necessarily translated into equal influence in decision-making spaces.
“Beyond the numbers, discriminatory social norms and unequal power relations continue to shape who is seen as a legitimate leader, whose voice is heard and whose contributions are valued,” she said.
Citing the OECD’s 2023 Social Institutions and Gender Index, Broussard said 43.9 per cent of Tanzanians believed men made better political leaders than women, highlighting the attitudes that continue to reinforce gender inequality in public life.
She said such perceptions had practical consequences, affecting the opportunities women receive, the support they can mobilise and their ability to influence decisions.
Women who venture into politics also face violence and intimidation, including technology-facilitated gender-based violence, which further discourages their participation.
Tanzania’s Minister for Community Development, Gender, Elders and Children, Saada Mkuya Salum said women aspiring to political leadership continued to face social scrutiny and criticism that often left them with little opportunity to defend themselves.
“It’s not easy at all. They will write. They will comment. They will do everything. And you don’t have a chance actually to explain,” she said.
She added that although progress had been made in empowering women, the systems and attitudes that historically excluded them remained firmly entrenched.
“So even the journey, women journey much as enhanced, are empowered somehow, but the journey has never and I believe it’s not going to be that easy because of these systems that have been rooted,” Mkuya said.
The Minister said Tanzania was proud of the progress made but warned that discriminatory social norms, weak institutional support and inadequate assistance for female candidates continued to undermine meaningful participation.
“We’re proud of progress but they also tell us that when we are heading into the right direction we are not there yet and we will not get there as long as deep-rooted discriminatory social norms, institutions that support women’s advancement and inadequate support for women candidates continue to restrict their participation,” she said.
Mkuya also highlighted the additional burden placed on women by traditional household and caregiving responsibilities, which often leave them with less time and resources to build political networks, mobilise support and pursue leadership positions
European Union Ambassador to Tanzania and the East African Community, Jean-Marc Pisani, echoed the concerns, arguing that women’s underrepresentation was not primarily a question of legal frameworks or leadership capabilities, but of deeply rooted social attitudes and the failure to translate commitments into practice.
Pisani said women held an average of 27 percent of parliamentary seats and 26 percent of local government positions across sub-Saharan Africa.
Regional disparities remain significant, with women accounting for approximately 31 percent of parliamentary representation in East and Southern Africa, 20 percent in Central Africa and 16 percent in West Africa.
Rwanda, where women hold 64 percent of parliamentary seats, demonstrates what can be achieved through political will and strong institutions, he said.
“Norms are not a cultural footnote to democracy. They determine who can take part in it,” Pisani said, pointing to research showing that about half of the world’s population still believes men make better political leaders than women.
He warned that violence against women in politics was increasingly moving into digital spaces, where abuse, threats and disinformation targeting female candidates and leaders were becoming additional obstacles to their participation.
“These are not private harms. They are attacks on democracy itself,” he said.
Both officials called for a broader approach to gender equality, arguing that increasing the number of women in political institutions would not be enough without addressing the social and institutional barriers that limit their influence.
Broussard called for more inclusive political institutions, gender-responsive media coverage and the active involvement of men and boys in challenging discriminatory attitudes.
She also highlighted the importance of recognising young people, particularly young women, as agents of change rather than merely future leaders.
Pisani similarly urged men to take an active role in dismantling barriers by supporting women’s political ambitions, speaking out against harassment and sharing decision-making power.
He also challenged journalists to examine how media narratives shape public perceptions of leadership and influence what girls believe they can achieve.
“The stories a society tells about leadership shape what its girls believe they can become,” he said.
The two officials also pointed to ongoing interventions aimed at translating gender equality commitments into tangible improvements.
Broussard highlighted Tanzania’s legislative reforms, including the recognition of violence against women in politics as an electoral offence under the Presidential, Parliamentary and Councillors Election Act.
She also cited initiatives supporting women parliamentarians through partnerships involving the Uwongozi Institute and the European Union, as well as community engagement programmes with the Tanzania Media Women’s Association (TAMWA).
Pisani said the European Union had committed €90 million to its Gender Transformative Action programme, Breaking the Glass Ceiling, which supports gender-responsive policies, legal empowerment and community-level efforts to challenge discriminatory social norms.
The dialogue, bringing together participants from 23 countries, including journalists, women in politics and community leaders, is being convened by the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA), with support from the European Union and UN Women.
The meeting seeks to facilitate exchanges on practical strategies for transforming gender norms and strengthening women’s and young people’s participation in leadership and decision-making.
