Gender Equality and Electoral Violence in Africa: Unlocking the Peacemaking Potential of Women

August 16, 2019

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Rasmané Ouedraogo, and Idrissa Ouedraogo. Gender Equality and Electoral Violence in Africa: Unlocking the Peacemaking Potential of Women, (USA: International Monetary Fund, 2019) accessed December 21, 2024

Disclaimer: IMF Working Papers describe research in progress by the author(s) and are published to elicit comments and to encourage debate. The views expressed in IMF Working Papers are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the views of the IMF, its Executive Board, or IMF management.

Summary

We examine the impact of gender equality on electoral violence in Africa using micro-level data from the sixth round of Afrobarometer surveys. The sample covers 30 countries. We find that gender equality is associated with lower electoral violence. Quantitatively, our estimates show that an increase in female-to-male labor force participation ratio by 1 percentage point is correlated with a reduction of the probability of electoral violence across the continent by around 4.2 percentage points. Our results are robust to alternative ways to measure electoral violence and gender equality, as well as to alternative specifications. The findings of this paper support the long-standing view that women empowerment contributes to the reduction of violence and underscore the urgency of addressing gender inequality in Africa.

Subject: Gender, Gender diversity, Gender inequality, Income inequality, Labor, Labor force participation, National accounts, Women

Keywords: Africa, Agriculture labor force, Descriptive statistics, Dichotomous variable, Election worker, Electoral violence, Female-to-male labor force participation ratio, Gender diversity, Gender equality, Gender inequality, Income inequality, Labor force participation, Presidential election, Rainfall growth, Ruling party, Women, WP

Publication Details

Pages:

39
Volume:

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DOI:

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Issue:

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Series:

Working Paper No. 2019/174
Stock No:

WPIEA2019174
ISBN:

9781513510545
ISSN:

1018-5941

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