Rural Feminism

The experiences of African rural women, who cultivate the land, contribute to food security, and organise at grassroots levels, remain underexplored in social science feminist literature. The division of labour in African rural areas is deeply gendered, subjecting women to stereotypes and systemic marginalisation. These women, defined by intersections of race, class, age, and geographic location, endure compounded oppressions that shape their everyday realities. Despite these challenges, rural women engage in acts of resilience and agency that are inherently feminist, even if they do not explicitly identify them as such (Nnaemeka, 2004; Agarwal, 2010; Tripp et al., 2009; Maathai, 2004).