A systematic review of barriers to women’s participation in traditional leadership roles in Africa
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 22257567 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Abgirl Muleya (0000-0002-9409-6079, University of South Africa, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 7 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 631 |
| Publication date | 2026-03-31 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | E-Journal of Humanities Arts and Social Sciences (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2720-7722 • E-ISSN: 2720-7722 |
| Publisher | Noyam Publishers (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.38159/ehass.20267216 |
| OpenAlex | W7148507996 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 36 |
Traditional leadership positions in African nations continue to have very few women despite constitutional advancements and worldwide support for gender equality. The purpose of this systematic review is to synthesize the various obstacles that prevent women from participating in traditional leadership positions in Africa. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) framework guided the qualitative synthesis approach to select relevant papers for this review. The review search focused on studies published between 2014 and 2025 in Scopus, JSTOR, SAGE, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases. The total number of papers assessed for this study reached 20 after applying the inclusion criteria. Thematic analysis of included studies in this systematic review revealed four main themes: patriarchal cultural norms and beliefs, societal perceptions and resistance, institutional resistance within traditional structures, and legal and policy inconsistencies. The research demonstrates how legal systems interact with deeply rooted cultural beliefs to keep women in marginalized positions. Governments must align customary laws with constitutional gender equality provisions to prevent cultural or traditional practices from discriminating against women. Traditional leadership acts need revision to establish mandatory gender inclusion and succession provisions that confirm women’s eligibility for traditional positions
Gender equality · Qualitative research · Systematic review · Thematic analysis · Traditional authority · Gender Diversity and Inequality · Gender Politics and Representation · International Human Rights and Reproductive Law
Toward good practice in thematic analysis
Breaking Barriers
Gendered ruptures and continuities in the Venda traditional leadership from C. 1990 to 2020
The role and significance of traditional leadership in the governance of modern democratic South Africa
The Role of Women in Traditional Leadership with Special Reference to the Valoyi Tribe
Women in politics in Kenya
Female Chiefs in Dagbon Traditional Area
Chieftaincy and traditional authority in modern democratic Ghana
Gender and leadership positions
Precarious discourses
Perceptions of South Africans on traditional leadership
Understanding the Resurgence of Traditional Authorities in Post-Apartheid South Africa
Traditional Authority in South Africa
Chiefly Succession and Democracy in South Africa
What is wrong with a woman being chief?' Women Chiefs and Symbolic and Substantive Representation in Botswana
Explaining chieftaincy conflict using historical institutionalism
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |