African Journal of Gender and Women Studies

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 2, February 2026 | pp. 1–8

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/000101

Research Article

Title: Intersectional Vulnerabilities and Climate Resilience: Livelihood Adaptation Strategies Among Rural Smallholder Women Farmers in Northern Ghana

Names of Authors: Amina Gariba¹, Chinyere Okon²

Authors’ Affiliations: ¹Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, University of Ghana, Legon, Ghana; ²Centre for Gender and Development Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria

Abstract: Climate change disproportionately burdens rural women in sub-Saharan Africa due to deeply entrenched agrarian gender roles and restricted resource ownership. This empirical study investigates the adaptive capacity and livelihood resilience strategies deployed by female smallholder farmers across three climate-vulnerable districts in Northern Ghana. Utilizing a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design, quantitative survey data from n = 385 randomly sampled women heads of households were integrated with qualitative insights from 12 focus group discussions. Statistical evaluations revealed that while 78.4% of respondents experienced severe crop yield reductions (mean decrease = 35.2 ± 4.1%) over five consecutive seasons, only 14.2% possessed formal land titles limiting access to credit facilities (t = 6.84, p < 0.001). Coping mechanisms predominantly involved diversification into non-farm micro-enterprises and communal labor-sharing cooperatives. However, systemic exclusion from agricultural extension services restricted technology adoption rates to below μ = 25% efficiency thresholds. The findings underscore that enhancing regional food security necessitates gender-transformative climate policies that legally secure land rights and decentralize climate-smart agricultural training directly to women-led cooperatives.

Keywords: Climate change, intersectionality, smallholder farmers, adaptive capacity, gender roles, livelihood diversification, Ghana

Manuscript Timeline: Received: 12 October 2025; Revised: 05 January 2026; Accepted: 18 January 2026; Published: 01 February 2026

Citation: Gariba, A., & Okon, C. (2026). Intersectional Vulnerabilities and Climate Resilience: Livelihood Adaptation Strategies Among Rural Smallholder Women Farmers in Northern Ghana. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(2), 1–8.

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 2, February 2026 | pp. 41–48
DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/000201

Research Article

Land Tenure Reform and Women’s Agricultural Productivity: Empirical Insights from Rural Rwanda

Jeanette Uwamariya¹, Olivier Nkurunziza²

¹Faculty of Agriculture, University of Rwanda, Butare, Rwanda
²Institute of Policy Analysis and Research, Kigali, Rwanda

Abstract: Rwanda’s national land tenure regularization program introduced mandatory joint land registration for married couples, aiming to secure women’s land rights. This empirical study examines whether this legal reform translated into enhanced agricultural investment and crop yields among female-managed plots in the Southern Province. Analyzing survey data from 520 farming households before and after the reform, we applied a difference-in-differences econometric model. The statistical evaluation indicates a 19.4 percent rise in long-term soil conservation investments on plots with female co-titling names compared to control plots (t = 4.12, p < 0.01). Crop productivity value increased by an estimated 14.8 percent per hectare among households where women shared equal legal decision-making over land usage. However, informal social norms still restrict women from utilizing registered land as collateral for commercial agricultural loans. The study confirms that joint titling empowers female farmers productively, yet requires complementary financial sector reforms to maximize impact.

Keywords: Land tenure, agricultural productivity, co-titling, gender equity, Rwanda

Manuscript Timeline: Received: November 15, 2025; Revised: December 18, 2025; Accepted: January 05, 2026; Published: February 05, 2026

Citation: Uwamariya, J., & Nkurunziza, O. (2026). Land Tenure Reform and Women’s Agricultural Productivity: Empirical Insights from Rural Rwanda. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(2), 41–48. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/000201

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies ISSN: 2736-1578, Vol. 11 (1), pp. 001-008, January, 2026. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

Sexual Violence Against Girls in Schools: Analyzing Grade 12 Students’ Understandings and Attitudes

Kalula Mpiana

Department of Public management, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, South Africa. E-mail: mpiana_kalula@yahoo.co.uk or joshuadorcas@gmail.com. Tel: +27 73 2196 250 or +27 7318 51 585.

Accepted 21 October, 2025

There has been increasing levels of sexual violence against girls in South African schools. Girls continue to face obstacles to their learning even though some progress has been made in terms of gender equality in education. The opportunities that girls have to learn should in no way be compromised by their gender. Sexual violence leads to dropping out, interruption of studies, unwanted pregnancies and HIV/AIDS. Attitudes towards females feed in to the notion that coercive sex is not a violent act. Although this study focuses on the girls and recognized that boys are also being sexually assaulted.

Keywords: Attitude, girls, learners, school and sexual violence.
 

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 1, January 2026 | pp. 25–32
DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/000104

Empirical Article

Intersectional Realities of Female Artisanal Miners in the Lualaba Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo

Marie-Claire Tshilombo¹, Nene Kabanga²

¹Department of Sociology, University of Lubumbashi, Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of Congo
²Center for Gender and Mining Studies, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo

Abstract: Artisanal and small-scale cobalt mining in the Democratic Republic of Congo is a male-dominated sector where women occupy the most hazardous, informal tiers of the supply chain. This study explores the intersectional vulnerabilities experienced by female washers, sorters, and petty traders in Lualaba Province. Through an ethnographic approach involving participant observation and 85 semi-structured interviews, we document the physical toll, economic exploitation, and systemic gender-based violence at mine sites. Results indicate that 78.8 percent of female miners suffer from chronic musculoskeletal disorders and heavy metal exposure symptoms, yet lack access to occupational health services or secure tenure over mineral-sorting areas. Furthermore, customary patriarchal structures prevent women from registering mining cooperatives independently. The study highlights the urgent need for formalization policies that protect women’s labor rights, guarantee equal pay, and eradicate sexual exploitation by armed actors and informal mine bosses.

Keywords: Artisanal mining, intersectionality, cobalt supply chain, labor rights, Democratic Republic of Congo

Manuscript Timeline: Received: November 02, 2025; Revised: December 10, 2025; Accepted: December 22, 2025; Published: January 25, 2026

Citation: Tshilombo, M.-C., & Kabanga, N. (2026). Intersectional Realities of Female Artisanal Miners in the Lualaba Province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(1), 25–32. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/000104

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 1, January 2026 | pp. 17–24
DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/000103

Research Article

Gender Representation in Climate Adaptation Policies: A Critical Discourse Analysis of East African Nationally Determined Contributions

Fatuma Hassan¹, John Mwangi²

¹Department of Environmental Policy, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
²School of Global Studies, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Abstract: Climate change policies frequently adopt gender-neutral language that obscures the differentiated vulnerabilities of rural women. This paper presents a critical discourse analysis of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) submitted by Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda under the Paris Agreement. Examining policy texts through a feminist political ecology framework, we assess how gender is integrated into agricultural adaptation, water resource management, and disaster risk reduction strategies. The textual analysis reveals that women are predominantly framed as vulnerable victims or passive beneficiaries of resource allocation rather than active agents of environmental governance. Quantitative coding shows that out of 452 policy action points, only 14.2 percent incorporate mandatory gender-disaggregated monitoring indicators (n = 64). The study argues that climate policy frameworks in East Africa must move beyond symbolic inclusion to institutionalize transformative gender justice, ensuring rural women hold decision-making power in climate adaptation fund allocation and local execution.

Keywords: Climate adaptation, gender representation, critical discourse analysis, NDCs, East Africa

Manuscript Timeline: Received: October 25, 2025; Revised: December 05, 2025; Accepted: December 20, 2025; Published: January 20, 2026

Citation: Hassan, F., & Mwangi, J. (2026). Gender Representation in Climate Adaptation Policies: A Critical Discourse Analysis of East African Nationally Determined Contributions. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(1), 17–24. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/000103

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies ISSN: 2736-1578, Vol. 11 (1), pp. 001-007, January, 2026. Available online at www.internationalscholarsjournals.org © International Scholars Journals

Full Length Research Paper

From Policy to Practice: Assessing the Impact of Higher Education Transformation on Gender Equity at Gauteng University of Technology

Yvonne Senne¹* and Robert Rugimbana²

¹Department of Management and Enterprise, Faculty of Management Sciences, Tshwane University of Technology, South Africa.
²Business School, Faculty of Management Sciences Tshwane University of Technology, South Africa.

Accepted 9 November, 2025

The need for more equitable workplace opportunities for employees is a well-documented area in management literature. More recently, research on the role of gender equity strategies is also prominent in the literature. An important lacuna in the equal employment opportunities (EEO) literature appears, however, to be the lack of focus on gender equity in higher education. Specifically, the in- attention to the influence of organizational policies, practices and processes on equity. This study applies a case study approach to study gender equity in South Africa, as a means of measuring the progress of gender equity in the South African higher education sector. The study examines pre- and post- level attainment of gender equity using gender representation as a measure of progress. Using gender profiling, findings suggests that current gender equity strategies may be at odds with the intentions of the transformational agenda in post-apartheid South Africa. As such, the paper highlights the need to fully utilize gender mainstreaming strategies as a means of guiding, planning and monitoring achievements of gender equity in South African Higher Education Institutions.

Key words: Equity, gender, transformation.