Reimagining political representation in Africa

An Ubuntu-Integrated Framework for bridging gender inequality

Bibliographic Data

ID19224798
AuthorsOlubusola Olukorede Solomon (0009-0002-3519-5883, Hong Kong Polytechnic University, corresponding author)
Year2026
Pages1-19
Publication date2026-04-17
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueAfrican Identities (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1472-5843 • E-ISSN: 1472-5851
PublisherRoutledge (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/14725843.2026.2659213
OpenAlexW7154707842
LanguageEN
References cited31

In almost all electoral democracies around the globe, women are often underrepresented in legislative and executive positions. This paper critiqued the socio-political nest that conditioned and perpetuates this gender inequality and offered a new paradigm for redistributive justice, using Africa as acase study–where women hold merely 27.1% of elective and appointive positions. The Ubuntu philosophy underpinned the study and was used to negate gender imbalances and guarantee political inclusivity. Women’s political underrepresentation, gender inequality, patriarchal cultural norms, and the interplay between political and social structures constituted the principal indicators. Through the Ubuntu Integrated Framework (UIF), the paper offered a practical model for women’s political emancipation: UIF outlined the relationship between these principal indicators and proposed a recontextualised political and institutional positioning through the application of Ubuntu principles in political representation. Overall, the paper holds prospects for upscaling women’s representation in governance through reframing and advocacy, policy development, and systemic change in Africa

Bridging (networking) · Context (archaeology) · Gender inequality · Inequality · Politics · Representation (politics) · African cultural and philosophical studies · African studies and sociopolitical issues · Gender Politics and Representation

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