African Journal of Gender and Women Studies

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 9, September 2026 | pp. 181–194

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001308

Article Type: Research Article

Title: Sporting Bodies and Gender Policing: African Female Athletes in Global Track and Field Governance

Names of Author: Sibongile Khumalo¹, Matteo Conti², & Simone Dubois³

Author's Affiliation: ¹Department of Sport and Movement Studies, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa; ²Department of Sociology and Social Research, University of Milan-Bicocca, Milan, Italy; ³Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.

Abstract:
International athletics governing bodies have increasingly implemented sex-testing regulations and testosterone eligibility thresholds that disproportionately target elite female athletes from the Global South. Framed under the guise of protecting fairness in women’s sports, these biomedical policies rely on narrow Eurocentric definitions of femininity that scrutinize and police the bodies of Black and African women. Athletes subjected to mandatory hormone testing face invasive medical procedures, public humiliation, and abrupt career suspensions. This paper interrogates the racialized and gendered politics of eligibility regulations in international track and field between 2014 and 2025. Anchored in postcolonial feminist theory and critical sport studies, the analysis examines regulatory documents, legal arbitration rulings, and media coverage surrounding affected East and Southern African runners. We demonstrate how sporting governance reproduces colonial bodily surveillance while highlighting the legal and collective resistance mounted by African athletes and feminist human rights advocates.

Keywords: Gender policing, African female athletes, sport governance, postcolonial feminism, bodily autonomy, track and field, racialized femininity, human rights

Manuscript Timeline: Received: July 16, 2026; Revised: August 18, 2026; Accepted: August 22, 2026; Published: September 15, 2026.

Citation: Khumalo, S., Conti, M., & Dubois, S. (2026). Sporting Bodies and Gender Policing: African Female Athletes in Global Track and Field Governance. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(9), 181–194. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001308

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 9, September 2026 | pp. 167–180

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001307

Article Type: Research Article

Title: Gender, Disability, and Intersectional Exclusion in Inclusive Education Policies

Names of Author: Tariro Chikwanda¹ & Rachel Goldstein²

Author's Affiliation: ¹Department of Educational Foundations, University of Botswana, Gaborone, Botswana; ²Department of Disability and Human Development, University of Illinois Chicago, Chicago, United States.

Abstract:
Global commitments to inclusive education have prompted many governments to adopt policies aimed at integrating learners with disabilities into mainstream schooling systems. However, policy frameworks frequently treat disability and gender as separate analytical categories, obscuring the compounded barriers faced by girls with disabilities. Inaccessible school sanitation facilities, lack of assistive learning technologies, heightened vulnerability to sexual violence during commutes, and family prioritization of boys’ education contribute to disproportionate dropout rates among disabled girls. This paper examines the lived educational experiences of young women with physical and sensory disabilities in Botswana and South Africa. Grounded in feminist disability studies and intersectionality, the research draws upon accessible narrative interviews with 34 female students and policy reviews of national education ministries. We argue that achieving substantive educational equity requires co-designing school infrastructure and safeguarding protocols directly with disabled women’s organizations.

Keywords: Feminist disability studies, intersectionality, inclusive education, disabled girls, educational policy, accessibility, Botswana, South Africa

Manuscript Timeline: Received: July 14, 2026; Revised: August 17, 2026; Accepted: August 21, 2026; Published: September 15, 2026.

Citation: Chikwanda, T., & Goldstein, R. (2026). Gender, Disability, and Intersectional Exclusion in Inclusive Education Policies. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(9), 167–180. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001307

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 9, September 2026 | pp. 153–166

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001306

Article Type: Research Article

Title: Women in Renewable Energy Cooperatives: Gendered Transitions and Rural Electrification

Names of Author: Aisha Abdullahi¹, Claire Beaumont², & Kenji Takahashi³

Author's Affiliation: ¹Centre for Energy and Sustainable Development, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana; ²School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom; ³Graduate School of Environmental Studies, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.

Abstract:
Decentralized solar mini-grids and clean cooking technologies are widely hailed as essential pathways for achieving universal energy access and decarbonization across rural Africa and Asia. Yet energy infrastructure projects frequently treat women merely as passive household consumers rather than technical operators, entrepreneurs, and decision-makers. Patriarchal norms surrounding technical expertise and unequal access to startup capital often exclude women from governance roles within community energy utilities. This paper investigates how women-led solar energy cooperatives reshape gendered divisions of labor and local governance in rural Ghana and Nepal. Utilizing a feminist political ecology framework, the study analyzes cooperative financial records alongside qualitative interviews with 48 female solar technicians and community leaders. The results demonstrate that training women in solar maintenance and cooperative management not only improves energy reliability for rural clinics and schools, but also challenges entrenched stereotypes regarding women’s technological competence.

Keywords: Renewable energy, women’s cooperatives, rural electrification, feminist political ecology, gender and technology, sustainable development, Ghana, Nepal

Manuscript Timeline: Received: July 12, 2026; Revised: August 15, 2026; Accepted: August 19, 2026; Published: September 15, 2026.

Citation: Abdullahi, A., Beaumont, C., & Takahashi, K. (2026). Women in Renewable Energy Cooperatives: Gendered Transitions and Rural Electrification. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(9), 153–166. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001306

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 9, September 2026 | pp. 139–152

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001305

Article Type: Research Article

Title: Reproductive Justice and Contraceptive Autonomy Among Adolescent Girls in Peri-Urban Communities

Names of Author: Ngozi Ezeaku¹, Hannah Lindqvist², & Carlos Mendoza³

Author's Affiliation: ¹Department of Public Health, University of Benin, Benin City, Nigeria; ²Department of Women's and Children's Health, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden; ³Faculty of Social Sciences, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City, Mexico.

Abstract:
Access to comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services remains heavily contested for adolescent girls living in rapidly expanding peri-urban settlements across the Global South. While public health campaigns frequently prioritize fertility reduction through biomedical family planning targets, provider bias, parental consent requirements, and religious stigma often prevent unmarried young women from exercising genuine contraceptive autonomy. Consequently, adolescents face heightened risks of unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortions, and interrupted schooling. This paper examines how adolescent girls navigate reproductive decision-making and institutional gatekeeping in peri-urban Lagos and Mexico City. Grounded in reproductive justice theory, the study combines participatory focus groups with 75 adolescent girls and interviews with community health workers. The findings reveal that youth-led peer education networks and confidential community clinics play crucial roles in counteracting moralistic medical gatekeeping and empowering girls to claim bodily self-determination.

Keywords: Reproductive justice, contraceptive autonomy, adolescent girls, peri-urban health, bodily self-determination, sexual health, Nigeria, Mexico

Manuscript Timeline: Received: July 10, 2026; Revised: August 14, 2026; Accepted: August 18, 2026; Published: September 15, 2026.

Citation: Ezeaku, N., Lindqvist, H., & Mendoza, C. (2026). Reproductive Justice and Contraceptive Autonomy Among Adolescent Girls in Peri-Urban Communities. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(9), 139–152. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001305

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 9, September 2026 | pp. 125–138

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001304

Article Type: Research Article

Title: Cinematic Resistance: Women Filmmakers and the Reimagining of Bodily Autonomy in Contemporary African Cinema

Names of Author: Dr. Khadija Al-Mansoor¹ & Dr. Chika Nwosu²

Author's Affiliation: ¹Department of Film and Media Studies, American University in Cairo, Cairo, Egypt; ²Department of Theatre and Film Studies, University of Port Harcourt, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

Abstract:
For decades, commercial cinema industries across Africa frequently reproduced patriarchal tropes that framed women either as self-sacrificing mothers or cautionary figures punished for transgressing moral norms. In recent years, however, a vibrant wave of female directors and screenwriters has transformed African visual storytelling by centering complex female interiority, reproductive autonomy, and queer desire. Navigating censorship boards and uneven distribution networks, these filmmakers utilize independent festivals and streaming platforms to reach global audiences. This paper examines the aesthetic and political interventions of contemporary women filmmakers in Egypt, Nigeria, and Kenya. Drawing on feminist film theory and the concept of the oppositional gaze, the study conducts close formal analyses of six feature films released between 2020 and 2025 alongside director interviews. I argue that women’s cinema operates as a vital counter-public sphere that disrupts male-dominated visual regimes and reclaims narrative authority over female bodies.

Keywords: African cinema, women filmmakers, feminist film theory, bodily autonomy, oppositional gaze, visual storytelling, Egypt, Nigeria

Manuscript Timeline: Received: July 08, 2026; Revised: August 13, 2026; Accepted: August 17, 2026; Published: September 15, 2026.

Citation: Al-Mansoor, K., & Nwosu, C. (2026). Cinematic Resistance: Women Filmmakers and the Reimagining of Bodily Autonomy in Contemporary African Cinema. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(9), 125–138. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001304

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 9, September 2026 | pp. 111–124

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001303

Article Type: Research Article

Title: Gender-Responsive Budgeting and Post-Pandemic Fiscal Recovery in Sub-Saharan Africa

Names of Author: Dr. Tendai Moyo¹ & Prof. Jean-Luc Moreau²

Author's Affiliation: ¹Department of Economics, University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe; ²Paris School of Economics, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne, Paris, France.

Abstract:
Sovereign debt crises and post-pandemic austerity measures across sub-Saharan Africa have triggered severe public spending cuts in healthcare, education, and social protection—sectors upon which women disproportionately rely for employment and essential services. When national budgets are formulated without gender-disaggregated impact assessments, fiscal consolidation inadvertently transfers the cost of economic adjustment onto women’s unpaid domestic labor. This paper evaluates the implementation and efficacy of gender-responsive budgeting (GRB) frameworks in Zimbabwe and Senegal over the past decade. Grounded in feminist macroeconomics, the study analyzes national budget allocations, public expenditure tracking surveys, and interviews with treasury officials and feminist economists. The research demonstrates that GRB initiatives only achieve transformative fiscal redistribution when backed by binding legislative mandates, transparent public audits, and active participation from grassroots women’s budget groups.

Keywords: Gender-responsive budgeting, feminist macroeconomics, fiscal austerity, public policy, social protection, unpaid labor, Zimbabwe, Senegal

Manuscript Timeline: Received: July 05, 2026; Revised: August 10, 2026; Accepted: August 14, 2026; Published: September 15, 2026.

Citation: Moyo, T., & Moreau, J.-L. (2026). Gender-Responsive Budgeting and Post-Pandemic Fiscal Recovery in Sub-Saharan Africa. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(9), 111–124. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001303