African Journal of Gender and Women Studies

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 9, August 2026 | pp. 193–200

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001272

Article Type: Original Research Article

Title: Workplace Sexual Harassment and Corporate Accountability Frameworks in the Kenyan Banking Sector

Names of Authors: Dr. Serah W. Nyaga¹, Dr. Patrick M. Kilonzo²

Authors’ Affiliations: ¹School of Business and Management, Strathmore University, Nairobi, Kenya; ²Department of Gender and Development Studies, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya

Abstract:
This study investigates the prevalence, institutional reporting mechanisms, and systemic barriers related to corporate sexual harassment within the formal banking sector in Nairobi, Kenya. Utilizing a mixed-methods organizational framework, data were gathered via an anonymous digital survey of 420 female bank employees across tier-one financial institutions, supplemented by 20 key informant interviews with human resource corporate compliance officers. The quantitative metrics reveal that 64% of respondents experienced form-based or verbal sexual harassment within the past 24 months. Statistical modeling demonstrates a significant negative correlation between experiencing workplace harassment and career progression timelines (p < 0.05). The thematic analysis highlights that formal institutional reporting mechanisms are structurally flawed, with 78% of victims avoiding internal grievance procedures due to fear of career retaliation, corporate cover-ups, and systemic victim-blaming culture. Descriptively, the data reveal that non-disclosure agreements are regularly weaponized by legal departments to protect high-revenue male executives, effectively silencing complainants. Furthermore, corporate wellness architectures treat harassment as an individual interpersonal issue rather than a structural risk factor. The study concludes that existing labor regulations are insufficient to protect female professionals. We recommend establishing independent, external ombudsman offices for corporate sectors, mandating transparent annual compliance audits, and enacting strict legislative bans on mandatory non-disclosure clauses for gender-based human rights violations.

Keywords: Sexual Harassment, Corporate Accountability, Banking Sector, Reporting Mechanisms, Gender Equality, Kenya

Manuscript Timeline: Received: March 11, 2026; Revised: May 22, 2026; Accepted: June 29, 2026; Published: August 31, 2026.

Citation: Nyaga, S. W., & Kilonzo, P. M. (2026). Workplace Sexual Harassment and Corporate Accountability Frameworks in the Kenyan Banking Sector. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(9), 193–200. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001272

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 9, August 2026 | pp. 185–192

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001271

Article Type: Original Research Article

Title: Gendered Realities of Climate-Induced Displacement and Adaptation Barriers in the Lake Chad Basin

Names of Authors: Dr. Mahamat A. Issa¹, Dr. Amina B. Moussa²

Authors’ Affiliations: ¹Département de Sociologie, Université de N'Djamena, N'Djamena, Chad; ²Center for Dryland Agriculture, Bayero University, Kano, Nigeria

Abstract:
The rapid ecological contraction of the Lake Chad Basin has catalyzed unprecedented environmental migration across Central Africa. This multi-border study evaluates the gendered dimensions of climate-induced displacement and the subsequent adaptation barriers encountered by pastoralist and fishing communities. Drawing on a regional survey of 520 displaced individuals across Chad, Niger, and Nigeria, combined with 24 focus group discussions, the research tracks resource access vulnerabilities. The quantitative indicators demonstrate a stark adaptation imbalance: displaced female-headed households exhibit a 68% lower livelihood recovery index score compared to male-led counterparts (p < 0.01). While displaced men migrate to urban centers for wage labor, women are restricted to temporary camp settlements due to child-rearing and domestic care duties. The thematic analysis shows that the breakdown of community safety nets increases women's vulnerability to survival sex and physical violence during fuel-wood collection trips. Furthermore, regional humanitarian relief frameworks distribute agricultural inputs almost exclusively to male land-owners, ignoring the informal tenant-farming practices that sustain displaced women. The study concludes that climate adaptation strategies across the Sahel region remain fundamentally gender-blind. We recommend implementing direct financial grants for displaced female collectives, constructing secure camp solar-energy systems, and establishing transnational protection frameworks for climate refugees.

Keywords: Climate Displacement, Lake Chad Basin, Environmental Migration, Vulnerability, Resource Access, Sahel

Manuscript Timeline: Received: March 01, 2026; Revised: May 18, 2026; Accepted: June 24, 2026; Published: August 31, 2026.

Citation: Issa, M. A., & Moussa, A. B. (2026). Gendered Realities of Climate-Induced Displacement and Adaptation Barriers in the Lake Chad Basin. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(9), 185–192. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001271

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 9, August 2026 | pp. 177–184

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001270

Article Type: Original Research Article

Title: Cultural Constructions of Infertility and Psychosocial Distress Among Married Women in Rural Uganda

Names of Authors: Dr. Namono J. Akello¹

Authors’ Affiliations: ¹Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda

Abstract:
In many pronatalist societies, childbearing is a primary requirement for validating adult female status and marital security. This study investigates the cultural constructions of involuntary childlessness and its direct correlation with psychosocial distress among married women in rural eastern Uganda. Using a cross-sectional qualitative case design, researchers conducted 40 clinical psychometric assessments alongside 15 narrative interviews with women diagnosed with primary or secondary infertility. The quantitative metrics reveal a profound mental health crisis: 86% of childless respondents met diagnostic criteria for severe clinical anxiety and major depressive disorders. The sociological analysis indicates that cultural frameworks completely exempt men from reproductive accountability, placing blame for reproductive failure entirely on women. The thematic findings document severe patterns of structural violence, including domestic banishment, physical assault, and state-sanctioned property dispossession by male in-laws following marital dissolution. Furthermore, infertile women are actively ostracized from vital communal rituals and micro-credit networks, as their childlessness is framed as an ancestral curse. Healthcare access is heavily constrained, with public hospitals lacking affordable diagnostic laparoscopy or reproductive endocrinology services. The study concludes that current maternal health frameworks completely ignore reproductive health complications. We recommend introducing community-level mental health counseling, establishing affordable public fertility clinics, and launching public education campaigns to reduce social stigma.

Keywords: Infertility, Social Stigma, Psychosocial Distress, Pronatalism, Domestic Abuse, Uganda

Manuscript Timeline: Received: April 15, 2026; Revised: June 20, 2026; Accepted: July 15, 2026; Published: August 31, 2026.

Citation: Akello, N. J. (2026). Cultural Constructions of Infertility and Psychosocial Distress Among Married Women in Rural Uganda. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(9), 177–184. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001270

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 9, August 2026 | pp. 169–176

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001269

Article Type: Original Research Article

Title: Structural Impediments to Female Entrepreneurship in the Formal Sector of Urban Cameroon

Names of Authors: Dr. Dieudonné T. Kamdem¹, Dr. Chantal M. Ngo¹

Authors’ Affiliations: ¹Faculty of Economics and Management, University of Yaoundé I, Yaoundé, Cameroon

Abstract:
Female-owned enterprises represent a major pillar of economic development, yet they face severe constraints during scaling phases. This multi-site study investigates the institutional, structural, and cultural barriers that limit female business growth from the informal sector to registered formal enterprises in urban Cameroon. Survey data were gathered from 500 women entrepreneurs across Douala and Yaoundé, supplemented by 15 financial institutional audits. The statistical analysis demonstrates that female applicants experience a 60% higher loan rejection rate at commercial banks compared to male peers with identical collateral options (p < 0.05). Banking models rely heavily on physical property titles for loan collateral, a requirement that systematically excludes women due to historical gender imbalances in real estate ownership. The thematic analysis of entrepreneur experiences highlights a persistent environment of systemic extortion, where female merchants are subjected to arbitrary municipal taxes and sexual harassment by market regulatory officials. Furthermore, the absence of public childcare infrastructure forces women to split business hours with domestic care duties, resulting in a 40% reduction in enterprise net profit margins compared to male-operated ventures. The study concludes that market deregulation policies are structurally biased. We recommend creating state-backed guarantee funds for female start-ups, implementing blind credit-scoring applications, and launching secure municipal childcare hubs.

Keywords: Female Entrepreneurship, Commercial Credit, Collateral Barriers, Formalization, Informal Economy, Cameroon

Manuscript Timeline: Received: February 22, 2026; Revised: May 15, 2026; Accepted: June 25, 2026; Published: August 31, 2026.

Citation: Kamdem, D. T., & Ngo, C. M. (2026). Structural Impediments to Female Entrepreneurship in the Formal Sector of Urban Cameroon. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(9), 169–176. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001267

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 9, August 2026 | pp. 161–168

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001268

Article Type: Original Research Article

Title: Customary Land Tenure Practices and Economic Marginalization of Widows in Rural Zambia

Names of Authors: Dr. Chileshe M. Mwamba¹, Prof. Brenda K. Mubanga¹

Authors’ Affiliations: ¹School of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia

Abstract:
Despite progressive national land reforms designed to protect gender equity, rural women remain highly vulnerable to asset dispossession. This study evaluates the socio-economic drivers and long-term impacts of property grabbing targeting widows under customary land tenure systems in Zambia's Southern Province. Using a mixed-methods structural design, researchers collected data from 400 widows alongside 20 key informant interviews with traditional headmen and statutory magistrates. The quantitative regression metrics demonstrate that 78% of the surveyed widows experienced immediate land or asset dispossession by male in-laws following their husband's death. Customary practices prioritize patriarchal lineage preservation, rendering statutory legal protections completely ineffective in rural communities. The empirical data show a strong positive correlation between land dispossession and household food insecurity, with affected widow-headed households exhibiting a 55% lower nutritional index score (p < 0.01). Qualitative narratives reveal that widows who seek formal legal remedies face severe social sanctions, including public shaming, physical eviction, and witchcraft accusations by village elders. Traditional headmen view independent female land titles as subversions of ancestral heritage. The study argues that top-down legislation will fail without deep institutional transformations inside local customary councils. We recommend legally binding traditional courts to statutory human rights charters, implementing mobile paralegal programs for rural widows, and criminalizing property-grabbing behaviors.

Keywords: Property Grabbing, Customary Law, Widows, Economic Security, Land Ownership, Zambia

Manuscript Timeline: Received: March 05, 2026; Revised: May 24, 2026; Accepted: June 28, 2026; Published: August 31, 2026.

Citation: Mwamba, C. M., & Mubanga, B. K. (2026). Customary Land Tenure Practices and Economic Marginalization of Widows in Rural Zambia. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(9), 161–168. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001268

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 9, August 2026 | pp. 153–160

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001267

Article Type: Original Research Article

Title: Gender Representation and Media Framing of Female Politicians in Contemporary Tunisian Press

Names of Authors: Dr. Olfa B. Slimane¹

Authors’ Affiliations: ¹Institut de Presse et des Sciences de l'Information, University of Carthage, Tunis, Tunisia

Abstract:
Media framing plays a defining role in shaping public electability perceptions and political career longevity. This study conducts a critical discourse analysis examining the gendered representation of female parliamentarians across six major Tunisian newspapers between 2024 and 2026. A total of 280 political features and editorial columns were coded using an intersectional qualitative matrix. The text analysis reveals a highly gendered framing strategy that consistently marginalizes female legislative expertise. Female politicians were systematically evaluated based on their physical appearance, fashion choices, and domestic marital status in 64% of the sampled press coverage, whereas male politicians were framed almost exclusively through their policy positions and leadership capabilities. Quantitative data show that journalists quote male sources four times more often than female peers on macroeconomic and national security debates, restricting female legislators to discussions regarding family welfare or social affairs (p < 0.01). Furthermore, the press regularly frames assertive female political rhetoric as emotional instability or divisive hyper-partisanship, reinforcing historical patriarchal biases. The study concludes that institutionalized media bias actively deters young women from seeking political careers. We recommend the introduction of independent media gender-monitoring councils, the institutionalization of non-sexist journalism training manuals, and the enforcement of equal-time media coverage during national electoral cycles.

Keywords: Media Representation, Political Leadership, Discourse Analysis, Gender Stereotypes, News Framing, Tunisia

Manuscript Timeline: Received: April 10, 2026; Revised: June 22, 2026; Accepted: July 19, 2026; Published: August 31, 2026.

Citation: Slimane, O. B. (2026). Gender Representation and Media Framing of Female Politicians in Contemporary Tunisian Press. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(9), 153–160. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001267