African Journal of Gender and Women Studies

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 11, November 2026 | pp. 99–112

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001352

Article Type: Research Article

Title: Gender, Taxation Policy, and Informal Market Traders in Urban Africa

Names of Author: Beatrice Boateng-Mensah¹ & Marcus Lindholm²

Author's Affiliation: ¹Department of Economics, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana; ²Department of Economics, Stockholm School of Economics, Stockholm, Sweden.

Abstract:
Municipal revenue authorities across African cities rely heavily on daily market tolls, licensing fees, and presumptive flat-rate taxes collected from informal street and market traders, the vast majority of whom are women. Because flat-rate levies take no account of actual profit margins, low-income female traders pay a significantly higher proportion of their earnings in taxes than formal corporate enterprises. Despite their substantial fiscal contributions, women traders routinely endure municipal harassment, arbitrary confiscation of goods, and a severe lack of basic market infrastructure such as clean toilets, drainage, and childcare centers. This paper analyzes the gendered equity implications of informal-sector taxation in Kumasi, Ghana, and Kampala, Uganda. Utilizing feminist fiscal sociology, the research combines tax-incidence surveys of 200 female market traders with interviews involving market queens and municipal revenue officials. We advocate for progressive presumptive tax brackets and participatory municipal budgeting.

Keywords: Gender and taxation, informal economy, market traders, feminist fiscal sociology, municipal governance, urban infrastructure, Ghana, Uganda

Manuscript Timeline: Received: September 26, 2026; Revised: October 25, 2026; Accepted: October 29, 2026; Published: November 16, 2026.

Citation: Boateng-Mensah, B., & Lindholm, M. (2026). Gender, Taxation Policy, and Informal Market Traders in Urban Africa. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(11), 99–112. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001352

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 11, November 2026 | pp. 85–98

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001351

Article Type: Research Article

Title: Women’s Grassroots Peace Movements, Music, and Cultural Resistance in Conflict Zones

Names of Author: Amina Diallo-Kourouma¹, Diego Salazar², & Hannah O’Brien³

Author's Affiliation: ¹Department of Music and Performing Arts, University of Conakry, Conakry, Guinea; ²Faculty of Arts, National University of Colombia, Bogotá, Colombia; ³Irish World Academy of Music and Dance, University of Limerick, Limerick, Ireland.

Abstract:
Across protracted conflict zones, women’s grassroots peace movements frequently mobilize indigenous songs, communal lamentations, and rhythmic performance as non-violent instruments of political protest, trauma healing, and cross-community reconciliation. While mainstream security studies focus narrowly on formal ceasefire negotiations and armed actors, cultural expressions of female solidarity often succeed in de-escalating local tensions and challenging militarized masculinities where diplomatic talks falter. This paper explores how women’s musical collectives foster peacebuilding and social cohesion in West Africa and Colombia. Grounded in feminist peace theory and ethnomusicology, the study analyzes song lyrics, performance recordings, and oral history interviews with 38 female peace activists and traditional singers. We demonstrate that women’s musical resistance preserves collective memory of wartime survival while articulating a morally compelling vision of community accountability and non-violence.

Keywords: Women’s peace movements, musical resistance, feminist peace theory, ethnomusicology, conflict resolution, cultural memory, West Africa, Colombia

Manuscript Timeline: Received: September 25, 2026; Revised: October 24, 2026; Accepted: October 28, 2026; Published: November 16, 2026.

Citation: Diallo-Kourouma, A., Salazar, D., & O’Brien, H. (2026). Women’s Grassroots Peace Movements, Music, and Cultural Resistance in Conflict Zones. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(11), 85–98. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001351

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 11, November 2026 | pp. 71–84

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001350

Article Type: Research Article

Title: Reproductive Autonomy, Assisted Reproductive Technologies, and Surrogacy Ethics in the Global South

Names of Author: Amara Eze-Okeke¹ & Priya Subramanian²

Author's Affiliation: ¹Department of Bioethics and Medical Humanities, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria; ²Centre for Studies in Ethics and Rights, Tata Institute of Social Sciences, Mumbai, India.

Abstract:
The rapid expansion of private fertility clinics and assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) across urban centers in Africa and South Asia has transformed infertility treatment while creating lucrative transnational surrogacy markets. In pronatalist societies where involuntary childlessness subjects women to severe marital stigma, divorce, and property disinheritance, access to IVF offers profound personal relief. Simultaneously, the absence of comprehensive bioethical regulation exposes low-income gestational surrogates and egg donors to medical exploitation, opaque contracts, and inadequate postpartum care. This paper examines the ethical, legal, and socio-economic dimensions of assisted reproduction and commercial surrogacy in Nigeria and India. Grounded in reproductive justice and feminist bioethics, the research draws on interviews with 34 fertility clinicians, gestational surrogates, and legal scholars. We argue for statutory regulatory frameworks that protect surrogates’ bodily autonomy and fair compensation while destigmatizing female infertility.

Keywords: Assisted reproductive technologies, surrogacy ethics, feminist bioethics, reproductive justice, infertility stigma, bodily autonomy, Nigeria, India

Manuscript Timeline: Received: September 24, 2026; Revised: October 23, 2026; Accepted: October 27, 2026; Published: November 16, 2026.

Citation: Eze-Okeke, A., & Subramanian, P. (2026). Reproductive Autonomy, Assisted Reproductive Technologies, and Surrogacy Ethics in the Global South. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(11), 71–84. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001350

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 11, November 2026 | pp. 57–70

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001349

Article Type: Research Article

Title: Gender, Fisheries, and Blue Economy Governance in Coastal African Communities

Names of Author: Adama Ndiaye¹, Kenji Watanabe², & Sofia Lindqvist³

Author's Affiliation: ¹Institute of Fisheries and Aquaculture, Cheikh Anta Diop University, Dakar, Senegal; ²Graduate School of Marine Science and Technology, Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology, Tokyo, Japan; ³Department of Marine Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden.

Abstract:
Small-scale artisanal fisheries sustain coastal food security and employment across West and East Africa, with women accounting for over eighty percent of fish processors, smokers, and local market traders. However, industrial foreign trawler overfishing, offshore oil and gas extraction, and top-down "Blue Economy" conservation enclosures increasingly restrict coastal communities’ access to marine resources. Because fisheries governance institutions predominantly recognize male boat owners while overlooking female post-harvest workers, women are systematically excluded from marine spatial planning and compensation schemes. This paper investigates the gendered impacts of Blue Economy policies on female fish processors in Senegal and Tanzania. Anchored in feminist political ecology and marine justice theory, the study combines catch-value tracking with 48 interviews involving women’s fisheries associations. We advocate for legal recognition of post-harvest fishing rights, investment in solar fish-drying infrastructure, and gender parity in coastal co-management councils.

Keywords: Blue Economy, artisanal fisheries, women fish processors, marine justice, feminist political ecology, food security, Senegal, Tanzania

Manuscript Timeline: Received: September 23, 2026; Revised: October 22, 2026; Accepted: October 26, 2026; Published: November 16, 2026.

Citation: Ndiaye, A., Watanabe, K., & Lindqvist, S. (2026). Gender, Fisheries, and Blue Economy Governance in Coastal African Communities. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(11), 57–70. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001349

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 11, November 2026 | pp. 43–56

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001348

Article Type: Research Article

Title: Queering Postcolonial Literature: Non-Normative Desire and Narrative Resistance in African Fiction

Names of Author: Chidera Onuoha¹ & Julian Vance-Kerr²

Author's Affiliation: ¹Department of English and Literary Studies, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria; ²Department of Postcolonial and World Literatures, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom.

Abstract:
State-sponsored homophobia and cultural nationalist rhetoric across several African countries frequently portray same-sex desire and gender non-conformity as Western cultural impositions incompatible with authentic African identity. Challenging these erasures, a growing body of contemporary African fiction centers queer characters whose intimate lives, historical lineages, and emotional resilience disrupt heteronormative literary conventions. These narratives reclaim precolonial histories of gender fluidity while interrogating the intersection of colonial sodomy laws, religious fundamentalism, and patriarchal family structures. This paper examines how contemporary African authors deploy narrative form and memory to articulate queer African subjectivities. Drawing on queer African studies and postcolonial literary theory, the analysis conducts close readings of novels by Chinelo Okparanta, Mohamed Mbougar Sarr, and Troy Onyango. We demonstrate that queer African literature operates as a vital counter-archive that reimagines kinship, belonging, and bodily freedom.

Keywords: Queer African literature, postcolonial fiction, non-normative desire, heteronormativity, counter-archive, queer studies, African feminism, identity

Manuscript Timeline: Received: September 22, 2026; Revised: October 21, 2026; Accepted: October 25, 2026; Published: November 16, 2026.

Citation: Onuoha, C., & Vance-Kerr, J. (2026). Queering Postcolonial Literature: Non-Normative Desire and Narrative Resistance in African Fiction. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(11), 43–56. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001348

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 11, November 2026 | pp. 29–42

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001347

Article Type: Research Article

Title: Gender-Based Violence in University Campuses: Institutional Accountability and Student Activism

Names of Author: Thandiwe Nkomo¹, Camila Herrera², & Rachel Thompson³

Author's Affiliation: ¹Centre for the Study of Violence and Reconciliation, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa; ²Department of Sociology, University of Costa Rica, San José, Costa Rica; ³School of Social Policy, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom.

Abstract:
Sexual harassment, coercive transactional relationships, and campus sexual assault remain pervasive barriers to women’s safe and equitable participation in higher education worldwide. Despite the adoption of anti-harassment policies by many universities, opaque disciplinary tribunals, fear of academic retaliation, and institutional reputation protection frequently silence student survivors and shield predatory faculty members. In response, student-led feminist movements have organized campus protests, digital survivor testimonies, and demands for independent oversight. This paper investigates campus gender-based violence governance and student feminist activism across universities in South Africa, Costa Rica, and the United Kingdom. Grounded in feminist institutionalism and survivor-centered justice theory, the study analyzes institutional policy frameworks alongside interviews with 40 student activists and campus equity officers. We argue that dismantling campus rape culture requires independent trauma-informed adjudicatory panels, transparent sanction reporting, and sustained funding for survivor support centers.

Keywords: Campus sexual violence, institutional accountability, student activism, higher education, feminist institutionalism, survivor-centered justice, South Africa, Costa Rica

Manuscript Timeline: Received: September 21, 2026; Revised: October 20, 2026; Accepted: October 24, 2026; Published: November 16, 2026.

Citation: Nkomo, T., Herrera, C., & Thompson, R. (2026). Gender-Based Violence in University Campuses: Institutional Accountability and Student Activism. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(11), 29–42. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001347