University of Gdańsk

Faculty of social sciences

Institut of Political Science

GENDER EQUALITY IN ANGOLA

Course: Diplomacy

Academic year: 2015/2016

stationary

2016

GENDER EQUALITY IN ANGOLA

Course: Diplomacy

Academic year: 2015/2016

Stationary/BA

Full Name: Paixão António José

INTRODUCTION

            The gender equality in Angola is a thema that has been creting several debates among Angolan societies, taking in account that Angolan population is mostly female. According the last census in the country 2014 Angola has got 24,3 million inhabitants, wich 11, 8 million male (48%) and 12,5 femele (52%).

            The gender differences in Angolan society ist still quite patent, problem caused by severals factors like cultural, history, sociological, religious, etc. By the fact that Angola is a multicultaral country formed by differents ethinc groups.

            Is imperoius to say that the equality in the country differentiates according the environment, I mean at rural and urban. At rural environment the woman role is divide by two:

1. Procriation: process that submit the woman as subject and mero instrument of reproduction whose the argument is the continuation of the generation.
2. The second is the woman domestic: consist of consideration of the woman as the owner of the home and must care the family nothind alse.

             The seme thing we cannot say at urban environment, where the woman role has been developing quickly, by the fact the woman assumes diverse role in modern angolan society. This factor is influeced by the monstrous growth of the country at differents social areas, and many programs created by the angolan government in order to emancipate the balance among the society.

• SOCIAL FUNCTION AND WOMAN REPRESENTATION IN ANGOLA

The urbanization of the African society has made emerge a new vision of women associated with its ability to participate socially and to generate income. But still, the result of the ancestral cultural influence, in rural areas, do not see a true equality "democratic" between genero with each aware of their role, staring at the woman as "supplementary" element.

Rural societies, agriculture-dependent matriarchal practiced by women, these had great prestige. Traditional African women, responsible for the family economy, had economic power and political influence. Colonialism brought loss of status of women impacting these days, with timid reactions of these currently trying to restore. But they cannot go further because of the constraints of tradition and stereotypes that refer to the background.

African traditional culture was being changed by introduction of elements arising from colonization and, now, of cultural globalization, producing its distortion. These changes had an impact in the various domains of social life, but the persistence of initiation rituals, in the countryside, has helped to reaffirm the traditional cultural values, which contributed to the preservation of the essential traits of local identities.

In the colonial era many rituals were suppressed by the colonial policies and by the Catholic Church in an attempt to annihilate the cultures of the communities, considered "late" or atentatórias of Christian morals. But, the insistence in the traditions become the rituals in a solid cultural phenomenon in rural areas. The "cultural resistance" (C.a., 1999) in rural areas has contributed to the preservation of traditions, among which the initiation rituals through which young people of both sexes acquire the status of adults and the respect of the community. These rituals are true "schools of life" but few integrate practices that, in the light of the principles of human dignity and equality, can be considered unworthy, deserving, so criticism and repudiation.

In Angolan society apply social representations, constructed by reference to eclectic values that pervade the urban context and in the light of the prevailing in the rural context, tradition. This way, it is possible to register differences expressed in the table below:

Contrary to what happens in the urban environment where the woman meets conditions for its affirmation and social emancipation, in the rural context are witnessing to their subjection.

In rural areas, the condition of mature woman is conquered by the initiatory rites. In these, she prepares to take on the roles of wife and mother, Manager of home and family life.

Therefore, the social construction of the female gender relates to cultural values that decrease the woman while social actor, to the extent that restrict their social participation to the domestic context. This is "mitigated" the woman ends up not having social expression. The submission of rural women to rites of passage contributes so she doesn't go fully to social citizenship, limiting their opportunities for action in the community. In this context, if not encourages girls ' schooling since their fate is traced according to male interests and with the horizon the family home. This "fate" has the mark of tradition that prevents the women themselves of the counter.

If citizenship presupposes the full enjoyment of civil rights and the assumption of the person as being socially committed to the collective project, implying social intervention, then it does not apply to the Angolan rural woman who sees restricted their opportunities of participation and social affirmation. Hence any ideological current that defend conceptions of citizenship as at particular values and cultural practices that affect civil rights, that discriminate according to gender, because citizenship, while host heritage of all, not the interests of communities who do not share the democratic values of equal rights and human dignity.

• GENDER INEQUALITY IN THE ANGOLAN RURAL SCHOOL:

A SOCIOLOGICAL EXPLANATION

The understanding of endoculturation processes aimed at cultural preservation in rural areas cannot fail to take account of the confrontation between urban culture and rural culture.

If the urban environment is more permeable to multiple cultural influences, the same does not happens in the countryside where denotes greater resistance to influences "strange". Thus, understanding the conservative culture dimension in rural areas can be based on the theories of cultural hegemony (Gramsci, 1996) and the psychic prison (Morgan, 1996).

• ANGOLAN GOVERNMENT AND EQUALITY OF GENDER

            This point concern of the Angolan goverment activities in gender equality area, in our days as well to perspectve the the future of next angolan generation. Angolan government has been fighting against the gender inequality, this chalenge is taken as priority according the development program of the government 2013-2017.

            The insert of the women in the politic life is one of the indicators, actually angolan parliament is the second parliament of the (Comunidade de Países de Língua Portuguesa “CPLP”English: Comunity of the Countries of Portuguese Languages) with 36, 8% among 220 congress men, after Mozambique with 39,6% with 250 congress men, Angola conserve the 19th position, while Mozambique is  11th (International Parlamentar Union).

The angolan government devotes special attention to all areas of concern of the Beijing Platform for Action (PAB), which allowed the country to achieve important advances and substantial improvements in gender equality, empowerment and human rights of women.

This statement was made Monday in New York, by the Minister of family and Woman promotion, Filomena Delgado, during her speech at the 59th session of the United Nations Commission on the status of women, held from 9 to 20 March under the central theme "Global Review of progress Achieved in implementing the challenges and Action Platform of Beijing".

"Since 2009, the Angolan Executive has been paying greater attention to the materialization of the objectives and goals of the Beijing Platform for action in the 12 critical areas defined. Various instruments, diplomas and laws were drawn up and approved for the promotion of gender equality, empowerment and human rights of the Angolan women, "said the ruler, who heads a delegation of Angolan mustisectorial.

She added that, in the wake of the fulfilment of its international commitments, and in the framework of the implementation of the national development plan (PND) 2013-2017, the Executive has been making efforts for the realization of the targets, with particular attention to the programme of support to gender issues and women's Promotion, support for victims of violence, family recovery, community development and the promotion of Rural women.

According to the Minister, within the framework of gender equality, the SNE 2013-2017 aims general promotion for men and women, equal opportunities, rights and responsibilities in all areas of economic, social, cultural and political. The measures will in order to promote the full exercise of human rights and fundamental freedoms, regardless of race, origin, ethnicity, religion, belief or age, as enshrined in the Constitution of Angola.

The minister has said that if there are progress in implementation strategies of programmes directed at reducing poverty within the female population, as, for example, the promotion of employment and income-generating activities, with the majority of women (encourage the development of small and medium-sized enterprises), on the one hand and, on the other, access to basic social services , including education and health with a strong penchant in rural areas.

She said that the Government has also made efforts in the promotion and protection of children, in particular the young woman, having adopted various instruments to ensure these rights in its fullness, setting out the law on the protection and Integral Development of the child, the establishment of the national children's Council, the National Forum on the child where the Executive took the 11 Commitments of child protective services as well as the implementation of the National Youth Forum, which culminated in the drafting of the national plan for youth development.

Indicated that, under the Presidency of the Angolan Head of State Jose Eduardo dos Santos, was held on day 7 of August 2014, the national forum of Auscultation to Rural women, under the theme "the contribution of Rural women in the development process", with the participation of about 3,000 people, being a political and social content initiative that allowed Rural women voice and enhance participation and development policies of the country.

Indicated that, under the Presidency of the Angolan Head of State Jose Eduardo dos Santos, was held on day 7 of August 2014, the national forum of Auscultation quiz to Rural women, under the theme "the contribution of Rural women in the development process", with the participation of about 3.000 people, being a political and social content initiative that allowed Rural women voice and enhance participation and development policies of the country.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

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Angolan Education gender innequality (A. Da Silva Eugénio ) University of    Minho

ALTUNA, Raul (1985) Tradicional cultura of Bantu. Luanda

BA, Amadou Hampâté (1972). Aspects de la Civilisation Africaine

ESTERMANN, Carlos (1960). Angolan Southern Ethnography