If the analysis of the agrarian question in Africa suggests that peasants can circumvent relations of dependence because their reliance on the state and other external agencies is weak, the opposite tends to be the case in gender relations. A woman may be able to divorce her husband, but even in such a scenario she is likely to be subjected to control by other males. In societies, therefore, where control of women is vital not only for social reproduction but also for economic reasons, their emancipation is fraught with special hurdles. This chapter will analyze the constraints that women encounter and discuss the progress they are making despite these many hurdles. As such, it will draw on social exchange theory to examine both symmetrical and asymmetrical, informal reciprocal relations.

Gender came to the forefront as a public issue in Africa in the 1980s. It was a reflection on what was happening elsewhere in the world. The role of women in politics and development got a special boost from the international conferences that the United Nations organized in Copenhagen 1980 and Nairobi 1985 in order to showcase this theme as a concern of all. The idea of holding the second international conference in Nairobi was deliberate. The situation of women in Africa was generally considered critical. Not only were women poor, but they also carried a heavy burden of work on the land.