Democracy Today.indb - Universidade do Minho
Democracy Today.indb - Universidade do Minho
Democracy Today.indb - Universidade do Minho
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influence and begins to map out societal changes. Nonetheless, how<br />
they <strong>do</strong> this and with which hypothesised consequences is a question<br />
that still warrants scientific inquiry.<br />
It is with this question in mind that this paper tasks itself. The<br />
point of departure is that society has several spheres of influence.<br />
Without relegating the other spheres dismal positions, of importance<br />
are the governance and economic spheres. For the purposes of the<br />
issue at hand, the governance sphere takes centre stage. The main<br />
line of questioning is: with the coming of age of a new generation,<br />
especially young African women, to take up positions of influence at<br />
the public <strong>do</strong>main and thereby contributing to governance issues of<br />
the day, which new institutional forms are necessary? Importantly<br />
which are the old institutional forms of legitimacy that act as structures<br />
of exclusion and which need to be transformed to accommodate this<br />
emerging category?<br />
Forms of Social Exclusion<br />
Cultural legitimacy – of marriage, motherhood and seniority<br />
Analysis of pre<strong>do</strong>minant forms of African social structures abound [2] ..<br />
For women, three institutions cut across and necessarily marked entry<br />
into society and thereby accorded women access to entitlements and a<br />
voice in society. These are institutions of cultural legitimacy that can be<br />
broadly categorised as marriage, motherhood and seniority. However,<br />
with the advent of the demographic transition several significant shifts,<br />
which can be attributed to certain predetermining conditions, can be<br />
witnessed. Population analysis show that, not only are we witnessing<br />
a bulge in the category of single unmarried women or delayed marriages<br />
(UNECA 2001: 32-38) at the socio-economic level we are also<br />
witnessing an increase in young women who are engaged in both<br />
the formal and the informal labour markets (Achieng’ 2004). Again,<br />
studies in demography provide us with an interesting insight into the<br />
163<br />
YOUNG AFRICAN WOMEN<br />
ENGAGE THE PUBLIC<br />
SPHERE; PROSPECTS FOR<br />
AN INTERDISCIPLINARY<br />
INQUIRY?<br />
Roseline M. Achieng<br />
2<br />
An up-to-date bibliographic reference on the social structures of the different communities<br />
in Africa and who consider themselves African is availed by different paper<br />
authors featured in the CODESRIA Bulletin, Special Issue: The African Woman, Nos.<br />
1&2, 2006