ABSTRACT
A global overview of women's status suggests that they occupy a subordinate political position, even in the most advanced democratic countries of the North. Women's situation in Africa is made worse by the fact that the continent is a late developer. Nevertheless, the third wave of democratization in the twentieth century in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) in general, and southern Africa in particular, generated high expectations of narrowing the gender gap in politics. Therefore, the achievements of women since the ‘third wave’ of democratization are of great interest, especially in terms of the numbers of women who win elections and occupy political positions; quality of women's participation based on the positions they occupy in parliament and in the executive; special measures and actions for women's inclusion into the political process; and longevity in political positions.
