African Journal of Gender and Women Studies

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 11, November 2026 | pp. 183–196

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001358

Article Type: Research Article

Title: Domestic Workers’ Digital Organizing and Labor Rights Advocacy in Urban Households

Names of Author: Lerato Khumalo¹, Fernanda Almeida², & Claire Dubois³

Author's Affiliation: ¹Department of Sociology, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa; ²Department of Labor and Social Law, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; ³Department of Political Science, University of Montreal, Montreal, Canada.

Abstract:
Paid domestic work constitutes one of the largest employment sectors for low-income and migrant women globally, yet the isolated nature of private household workplaces has historically hindered traditional union organizing. Even where national labor statutes extend minimum wage, paid leave, and social security protections to domestic workers, widespread employer non-compliance and fear of summary dismissal prevent workers from asserting their rights. In response, domestic workers’ unions have increasingly adopted mobile messaging groups, digital wage calculators, and online legal clinics to connect isolated workers and document labor abuses. This paper examines digital union organizing strategies among domestic workers in Johannesburg and São Paulo. Grounded in feminist labor geography and digital activism theory, the research draws on 44 interviews with domestic workers and union leaders. We argue that digital solidarity networks transform isolated domestic spaces into sites of collective labor empowerment.

Keywords: Domestic workers, digital organizing, labor rights, feminist labor geography, union activism, precarious employment, South Africa, Brazil

Manuscript Timeline: Received: October 02, 2026; Revised: October 31, 2026; Accepted: November 04, 2026; Published: November 16, 2026.

Citation: Khumalo, L., Almeida, F., & Dubois, C. (2026). Domestic Workers’ Digital Organizing and Labor Rights Advocacy in Urban Households. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(11), 183–196. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001358

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 11, November 2026 | pp. 169–182

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001357

Article Type: Research Article

Title: Gender, Micro-Insurance, and Climate Shock Resilience Among Female Smallholder Farmers

Names of Author: Wanjiru Ndegwa¹, Priya Malhotra², & Thomas Müller³

Author's Affiliation: ¹Department of Agricultural Economics, Egerton University, Njoro, Kenya; ²Centre for Risk and Insurance Studies, Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, Ahmedabad, India; ³Department of Development Economics, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany.

Abstract:
Weather-index crop insurance has been widely promoted as an innovative financial instrument to shield smallholder farmers from devastating droughts and floods. However, gender-disaggregated uptake data reveals that female farmers enroll in agricultural micro-insurance at substantially lower rates than men due to lack of formal land titles, liquidity constraints during planting seasons, and insurance contracts designed around male-controlled cash crops rather than women’s food crops. When climate disasters strike, uninsured female farmers are forced to sell productive assets or reduce household nutrition. This paper evaluates gender-tailored weather-index insurance pilots in rural Kenya and Rajasthan, India. Utilizing feminist economics and risk-governance frameworks, the study analyzes enrollment records alongside focus groups with 90 female farmers. We demonstrate that bundling index insurance with women’s savings groups and flexible mobile-money premium schedules enhances climate resilience.

Keywords: Micro-insurance, climate resilience, female smallholder farmers, feminist economics, weather-index insurance, agricultural risk, Kenya, India

Manuscript Timeline: Received: October 01, 2026; Revised: October 30, 2026; Accepted: November 03, 2026; Published: November 16, 2026.

Citation: Ndegwa, W., Malhotra, P., & Müller, T. (2026). Gender, Micro-Insurance, and Climate Shock Resilience Among Female Smallholder Farmers. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(11), 169–182. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001357

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 11, November 2026 | pp. 155–168

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001356

Article Type: Research Article

Title: Digital Feminist Publishing, Independent Zines, and Literary Activism in Africa

Names of Author: Chimwemwe Phiri¹ & Eleanor Bennett²

Author's Affiliation: ¹Department of English and Communication Studies, University of Malawi, Zomba, Malawi; ²Department of Publishing and Media Studies, University of Stirling, Stirling, United Kingdom.

Abstract:
Mainstream publishing houses across Africa and the Global North have historically imposed narrow commercial expectations on African women writers, favoring trauma-focused narratives that appeal to Western literary markets while sidelining experimental, queer, and radical feminist voices. In response, young African feminist writers, editors, and illustrators have launched independent digital zines, micro-presses, and online literary collectives that bypass traditional editorial gatekeeping. This paper explores how digital feminist publishing platforms foster creative autonomy, literary mentorship, and grassroots political critique in Malawi, Kenya, and the diaspora. Grounded in feminist media theory and print culture studies, the research analyzes 30 digital zine issues alongside interviews with 24 independent editors and contributors. We argue that digital zines constitute vital counter-hegemonic literary spaces that democratize cultural production and nurture emerging African feminist thought.

Keywords: Feminist publishing, digital zines, literary activism, African women writers, independent media, cultural production, Malawi, Kenya

Manuscript Timeline: Received: September 30, 2026; Revised: October 29, 2026; Accepted: November 02, 2026; Published: November 16, 2026.

Citation: Phiri, C., & Bennett, E. (2026). Digital Feminist Publishing, Independent Zines, and Literary Activism in Africa. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(11), 155–168. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001356

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 11, November 2026 | pp. 141–154

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001355

Article Type: Research Article

Title: Women’s Leadership in Community Water Governance and Rural Sanitation Infrastructure

Names of Author: Zainab Musa-Garba¹, Mateo Solis², & Astrid Holmberg³

Author's Affiliation: ¹Department of Water Resources and Environmental Engineering, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, Nigeria; ²Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of Chile, Santiago, Chile; ³Department of Water and Environmental Studies, Linköping University, Linköping, Sweden.

Abstract:
Decentralized rural water management policies frequently establish local water user committees to maintain boreholes and community piped systems, yet patriarchal leadership norms often relegate women to token administrative roles without budgetary control. Because women and girls bear primary responsibility for household water collection and hygiene, their exclusion from technical decision-making leads to poorly sited water points and frequent infrastructure breakdowns. This paper investigates the operational and social outcomes of women-led community water boards in northern Nigeria and rural Chile. Anchored in feminist political ecology and commons governance theory, the study combines infrastructure functionality audits across 40 villages with 50 interviews involving female water committee treasurers and engineers. We demonstrate that mandating female leadership in technical maintenance and tariff management significantly improves water system reliability and community health.

Keywords: Water governance, rural sanitation, women’s leadership, feminist political ecology, commons management, infrastructure equity, Nigeria, Chile

Manuscript Timeline: Received: September 29, 2026; Revised: October 28, 2026; Accepted: November 01, 2026; Published: November 16, 2026.

Citation: Musa-Garba, Z., Solis, M., & Holmberg, A. (2026). Women’s Leadership in Community Water Governance and Rural Sanitation Infrastructure. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(11), 141–154. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001355

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 11, November 2026 | pp. 127–140

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001354

Article Type: Research Article

Title: Indigenous Women’s Medicinal Knowledge, Biopiracy, and Intellectual Property Rights

Names of Author: Namukolo Banda¹, Ximena Quispe-Mamani², & Claire Moreau-Dupont³

Author's Affiliation: ¹Department of Biological Sciences, University of Zambia, Lusaka, Zambia; ²Institute of Ethnobotany and Indigenous Studies, National University of San Antonio Abad del Cusco, Cusco, Peru; ³Faculty of Law, University of Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France.

Abstract:
Across rural Africa and Latin America, Indigenous women serve as primary custodians of ethnobotanical and medicinal plant knowledge, preserving biodiversity and providing essential primary healthcare for their communities. However, multinational pharmaceutical and cosmetic corporations frequently extract indigenous plant genetics and traditional healing formulations without free, prior, and informed consent, securing exclusive patents while offering no royalties or recognition to female knowledge-holders. Existing Western intellectual property regimes prioritize individual corporate authorship over collective, intergenerational communal knowledge. This paper examines the gendered politics of biopiracy and traditional knowledge protection in Zambia and Peru. Anchored in decolonial feminist jurisprudence and Indigenous knowledge systems, the research draws on interviews with 40 female traditional healers and intellectual property attorneys. We argue for sui generis community patent frameworks and women-led biodiversity registers to safeguard indigenous epistemic sovereignty.

Keywords: Indigenous medicinal knowledge, biopiracy, intellectual property rights, decolonial jurisprudence, ethnobotany, women healers, biodiversity, Zambia

Manuscript Timeline: Received: September 28, 2026; Revised: October 27, 2026; Accepted: October 31, 2026; Published: November 16, 2026.

Citation: Banda, N., Quispe-Mamani, X., & Moreau-Dupont, C. (2026). Indigenous Women’s Medicinal Knowledge, Biopiracy, and Intellectual Property Rights. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(11), 127–140. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001354

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 11, November 2026 | pp. 113–126

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001353

Article Type: Research Article

Title: Fatherhood, Paternity Leave, and Shifting Care Masculinities in Urban African Households

Names of Author: Tafadzwa Moyo¹, Lucas Ribeiro², & Ingrid Bergman³

Author's Affiliation: ¹Department of Sociology, University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe; ²Department of Social Psychology, University of Brasília, Brasília, Brazil; ³Department of Social Work, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.

Abstract:
Achieving substantive gender equality in paid employment requires dismantling the entrenched division of unpaid domestic and childcare labor within households. While legislative reforms in several countries have introduced statutory paternity leave to encourage men’s active participation in early infant care, workplace stigma, fear of career penalties, and traditional norms equating manhood with financial breadwinning often result in low uptake among fathers. Nevertheless, shifting urban economic realities and dual-earner family structures are prompting a new generation of men to renegotiate involved fatherhood. This paper investigates the attitudes, barriers, and lived experiences of fathers taking paternity leave in urban Zimbabwe, Brazil, and Sweden. Grounded in critical studies on men and masculinities and care ethics, the study analyzes qualitative interviews with 45 dual-earner couples. We demonstrate that non-transferable, fully paid paternity leave policies paired with supportive workplace leadership accelerate equitable care sharing.

Keywords: Involved fatherhood, paternity leave, care masculinities, unpaid care work, dual-earner households, gender equality, social policy, work-family balance

Manuscript Timeline: Received: September 27, 2026; Revised: October 26, 2026; Accepted: October 30, 2026; Published: November 16, 2026.

Citation: Moyo, T., Ribeiro, L., & Bergman, I. (2026). Fatherhood, Paternity Leave, and Shifting Care Masculinities in Urban African Households. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(11), 113–126. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001353