African Journal of Gender and Women Studies

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 10, October 2026 | pp. 351–364

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001340

Article Type: Research Article

Title: Digital Literacy, Rural Women Farmers, and Climate-Smart Agricultural Extension Services

Names of Author: Sekai Moyo¹, Rajeshwari Menon², & Emily MacLeod³

Author's Affiliation: ¹Department of Agricultural Economics and Extension, University of Zimbabwe, Harare, Zimbabwe; ²Department of Rural Management, Anand Agricultural University, Anand, India; ³School of Agriculture and Food Sustainability, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia.

Abstract:
Mobile-based weather forecasting, digital market-price alerts, and e-extension platforms are increasingly deployed to help smallholder farmers adapt to erratic rainfall and market volatility. Yet a persistent rural gender digital divide—driven by lower smartphone ownership, costly mobile data, lower literacy rates, and patriarchal household gatekeeping—prevents female farmers from accessing vital agricultural information. Furthermore, digital extension content is frequently designed around male cash-crop farmers rather than women’s subsistence and horticultural crops. This paper evaluates gender-inclusive digital agricultural extension programs in rural Zimbabwe and Gujarat, India. Anchored in feminist technology studies and rural development theory, the study combines survey data from 160 female farmers with participatory design workshops. The findings reveal that voice-based local-language advisories delivered through women’s savings groups significantly bridge digital access gaps and enhance crop yields.

Keywords: Digital literacy, rural women farmers, agricultural extension, gender digital divide, climate-smart agriculture, smallholder farming, Zimbabwe, India

Manuscript Timeline: Received: September 11, 2026; Revised: October 11, 2026; Accepted: October 15, 2026; Published: October 15, 2026.

Citation: Moyo, S., Menon, R., & MacLeod, E. (2026). Digital Literacy, Rural Women Farmers, and Climate-Smart Agricultural Extension Services. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(10), 351–364. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001340

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 10, October 2026 | pp. 337–350

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001339

Article Type: Research Article

Title: Women’s Trade Unionism and Precarious Hospitality Labor in Global Tourism Economies

Names of Author: Farida Mwinyi¹ & Alessandro Conti²

Author's Affiliation: ¹Institute of Development Studies, University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; ²Department of Social and Political Sciences, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy.

Abstract:
Coastal resort tourism represents a major source of foreign exchange and service-sector employment across East Africa and the Mediterranean, with women comprising the majority of housekeeping, laundry, and catering staff. However, seasonal outsourcing, zero-hour contracts, low wages, and pervasive sexual harassment by guests and supervisors characterize much of the hospitality workforce. Traditional male-dominated labor unions have historically neglected casualized female hotel workers, leaving them vulnerable to arbitrary dismissal. This paper investigates grassroots female union organizing and workplace safety campaigns within the hospitality sectors of Zanzibar, Tanzania, and southern Italy. Utilizing feminist labor studies and intersectional political economy, the research draws on interviews with 40 female hotel workers and union organizers. We demonstrate how women-led union committees utilize collective bargaining, panic-button safety protocols, and international ethical tourism certifications to secure dignified working conditions.

Keywords: Hospitality labor, women’s trade unionism, precarious work, tourism economy, workplace harassment, feminist labor studies, Tanzania, Italy

Manuscript Timeline: Received: September 10, 2026; Revised: October 10, 2026; Accepted: October 14, 2026; Published: October 15, 2026.

Citation: Mwinyi, F., & Conti, A. (2026). Women’s Trade Unionism and Precarious Hospitality Labor in Global Tourism Economies. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(10), 337–350. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001339

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 10, October 2026 | pp. 323–336

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001338

Article Type: Research Article

Title: Body Politics, Skin Lightening, and Colorism in Postcolonial Media and Beauty Industries

Names of Author: Ijeoma Nnamdi¹, Camila Ortiz², & Sarah Jenkins³

Author's Affiliation: ¹Department of Sociology, University of Ibadan, Ibadan, Nigeria; ²Department of Cultural Studies, University of the Andes, Bogotá, Colombia; ³Department of Media and Cultural Studies, Goldsmiths, University of London, London, United Kingdom.

Abstract:
Multinational cosmetic corporations and algorithmic social media beauty filters continue to propagate Eurocentric aesthetic hierarchies that equate lighter skin tones with professional success, desirability, and social mobility. Across postcolonial societies in Africa and Latin America, pervasive colorism fuels the widespread consumption of toxic skin-lightening creams containing hydroquinone and mercury, posing severe dermatological and systemic health hazards for women. While public health campaigns often blame individual women for vanity, feminist scholars emphasize the structural legacies of colonial racialization and global beauty capitalism. This paper analyzes the intersection of colorism, digital beauty culture, and anti-bleaching feminist activism in Nigeria, Colombia, and the United Kingdom. Grounded in postcolonial feminist body politics, the study examines social media beauty advertisements alongside focus groups with 60 young women. We argue for strict regulatory bans on toxic cosmetics paired with decolonial media literacy campaigns celebrating dark-skinned beauty.

Keywords: Colorism, body politics, skin lightening, beauty industry, postcolonial feminism, media representation, public health, racialization

Manuscript Timeline: Received: September 09, 2026; Revised: October 09, 2026; Accepted: October 13, 2026; Published: October 15, 2026.

Citation: Nnamdi, I., Ortiz, C., & Jenkins, S. (2026). Body Politics, Skin Lightening, and Colorism in Postcolonial Media and Beauty Industries. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(10), 323–336. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001338

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 10, October 2026 | pp. 309–322

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001337

Article Type: Research Article

Title: Ecofeminism, Deforestation, and Women’s Agroforestry Initiatives in the Congo Basin

Names of Author: Solange Mbemba¹, Claire Lefèvre², & Hiroko Sato³

Author's Affiliation: ¹Department of Environmental Sciences, Marien Ngouabi University, Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo; ²Department of Geography, University of Montpellier, Montpellier, France; ³Graduate School of Global Environmental Studies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.

Abstract:
Commercial logging, slash-and-burn agricultural expansion, and charcoal production threaten the ecological integrity of the Congo Basin rainforest, undermining biodiversity and the livelihoods of forest-dependent communities. Because rural women rely directly on non-timber forest products, medicinal plants, and forest soils for household nutrition and income, deforestation disproportionately erodes women’s economic security and cultural autonomy. Yet international forest conservation schemes such as REDD+ frequently marginalize women from land-use consultations and carbon-credit benefit sharing. This paper examines grassroots women-led agroforestry and forest restoration cooperatives in the Republic of the Congo and Cameroon. Anchored in African ecofeminism and environmental justice frameworks, the research combines participatory forest mapping with 46 interviews involving female agroforesters. The findings indicate that securing women’s communal forest tenure and funding indigenous agroforestry networks yield superior ecological regeneration and household food resilience.

Keywords: Ecofeminism, deforestation, agroforestry, Congo Basin, forest conservation, women’s land tenure, biodiversity, environmental justice

Manuscript Timeline: Received: September 08, 2026; Revised: October 08, 2026; Accepted: October 12, 2026; Published: October 15, 2026.

Citation: Mbemba, S., Lefèvre, C., & Sato, H. (2026). Ecofeminism, Deforestation, and Women’s Agroforestry Initiatives in the Congo Basin. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(10), 309–322. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001337

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 10, October 2026 | pp. 295–308

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001336

Article Type: Research Article

Title: Gender, Migration, and the Remittance Economy Among Transnational African Households

Names of Author: Mariama Diop¹ & Benjamin Kowalski²

Author's Affiliation: ¹Department of Sociology, Cheikh Anta Diop University, Dakar, Senegal; ²Institute for Migration Research and Intercultural Studies, Osnabrück University, Osnabrück, Germany.

Abstract:
International migration from West Africa to Europe has increasingly feminized over the past two decades, with autonomous female migrants sending substantial financial remittances to support extended families back home. While female remitters play decisive roles in funding household education, healthcare, and housing construction, transnational family expectations frequently subject migrant women to intense moral scrutiny and unequal financial obligations compared to male migrants. Furthermore, women managing remittances within origin households navigate complex negotiations with male elders over resource control. This paper explores how transnational remittances reshape gender roles, authority, and intergenerational obligations between Senegal and Germany. Utilizing transnational feminist sociology, the study draws on paired interviews with 25 Senegalese female migrants in Germany and their remittance-receiving relatives in Dakar. We demonstrate that while migration enhances women’s economic leverage, enduring patriarchal norms continue to regulate how female wealth is legitimized.

Keywords: Gender and migration, remittance economy, transnational households, feminization of migration, household authority, Senegal, Germany, diaspora

Manuscript Timeline: Received: September 07, 2026; Revised: October 07, 2026; Accepted: October 11, 2026; Published: October 15, 2026.

Citation: Diop, M., & Kowalski, B. (2026). Gender, Migration, and the Remittance Economy Among Transnational African Households. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(10), 295–308. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001336

African Journal of Gender and Women Studies | Vol. 11, No. 10, October 2026 | pp. 281–294

DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001335

Article Type: Research Article

Title: Women’s Political Representation in Local Government Councils and Decentralized Service Delivery

Names of Author: Adeline Mutesi¹, Thomas Lindqvist², & Gabriela Rojas³

Author's Affiliation: ¹Department of Governance and Public Administration, University of Rwanda, Kigali, Rwanda; ²Department of Political Science, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden; ³Faculty of Political and Social Sciences, Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, Lima, Peru.

Abstract:
Decentralization reforms across developing democracies are frequently promoted as mechanisms for bringing governance closer to citizens and expanding women’s political participation at the municipal level. While reserved seats and local electoral quotas have increased the presence of female councilors, patriarchal patronage networks, limited municipal budgets, and male-dominated executive committees often constrain women’s policy influence. Nevertheless, female local representatives frequently prioritize community investments in clean water, primary healthcare, and market sanitation. This paper investigates the relationship between female municipal representation and gender-responsive local service delivery in Rwanda and Peru. Grounded in feminist institutionalism and decentralization theory, the study analyzes municipal budget allocations alongside interviews with 42 female councilors and community leaders. We conclude that sustained civic mobilization and gender-budgeting training empower local female officials to translate descriptive presence into tangible community welfare gains.

Keywords: Local government, decentralization, women’s political representation, service delivery, feminist institutionalism, municipal governance, Rwanda, Peru

Manuscript Timeline: Received: September 06, 2026; Revised: October 06, 2026; Accepted: October 10, 2026; Published: October 15, 2026.

Citation: Mutesi, A., Lindqvist, T., & Rojas, G. (2026). Women’s Political Representation in Local Government Councils and Decentralized Service Delivery. African Journal of Gender and Women Studies, 11(10), 281–294. DOI: 10.46882/2026/AJGWS/001335