Military Leadership and Gender in Africa: A Qualitative Review of Challenges and Opportunities
Keywords:
Military Leadership, Gender, Africa, Feminist Institutionalism, military combatAbstract
Traditionally, African military command has been the preserve of men, with women facing enormous barriers to entry and advancement. In recent years, however, the need for gender diversity in military command has become increasingly evident, and various African nations have made strides toward greater representation of women within their militaries. This qualitative desk research examines the intricate relationship between gender and military leadership in Africa, focusing on women's opportunities and challenges in military leadership positions. This paper explores the forces shaping women's involvement in military command, including institutional and cultural obstacles, and examines how women’s presence in command positions affects military effectiveness and regional security. This research uses the feminist institutionalist theoretical framework, which holds that the ways in which institutions and power are constructed shape gender relations and possibilities. This model will assist in examining how African military institutions sustain or subvert gender inequality and how women's leadership can be encouraged and developed. The results of this research will enhance understanding of the opportunities and challenges facing women in command in Africa and offer policy implications for policymakers, military commanders, and scholars concerned with advancing gender equality and diversity in African militaries.
Downloads
References
Adebajo, A. (2020). The curse of Berlin: Africa after the Cold War. Oxford University Press.
African Union. (2003). African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa. Addis Ababa: AU Publications.
Ahmed, T. (2024). Military Alliances in the Contemporary Geopolitical Landscape. Fari Journal of Global Affairs and Security Studies, 1(02), 79–100.
African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR). (2003). Principles and Guidelines on the Right to a Fair Trial and Legal Assistance in Africa. Banjul: ACHPR.
Akanji, B., Mordi, C., & Ajonbadi, H. A. (2024). Confronting social dominance ideology: How professional women manage career stereotypes in male-dominated occupations. Employee Relations: The International Journal, 4(4), 913–933.
Akinola, A. (2024). Military Coups and Democratisation in Africa: Rethinking the Role of Foreign Military Actors. In Adeoye Akinola (Ed.), The Resurgence of Military Coups and Democratic Relapse in Africa (pp. 177–201). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.
Akpan, P. (2025). When We Ruled: The Rise and Fall of Twelve African Queens and Warriors. New York: Simon and Schuster.
Alpern, S. B. (1998). Amazons of Black Sparta: The Women Warriors of Dahomey. New York University Press.
Atef, R. (2026). Gendered leadership in the Gulf: cultural norms, leadership styles and the limits of representation. International Journal of Public Leadership, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPL-05-2025-0085
Ayoko, O. S. (2025). The Place of the Military in the Foundation of States up to Modern Times. International Journal of Social and Economic Development, 1(1), 12–20.
Barfucci, V. (2026). Militarising Femininity on Social Media: Female Empowerment and Heteronormative Logics in the Representation of the Japan Self-Defence Forces. International Political Sociology, 20(1), 1–21.
Basham, V. (2013). War, identity, and the liberal state: The politics of military inclusion. New York: Routledge.
Björkdahl, A., Höglund, K., & Mannergren, J. (2026). Troubling Testimonies: Women's Narratives of War, Genocide, and Sexual Violence. New York: NYU Press.
Duruji, M. M., Fulani, O. M., & Osimen, G. U. (2026). Beyond the Battlefield: An Examination of the Nigerian Military’s Balancing Act in Internal Security Operations. Armed Forces & Society. https://doi.org/10.1177/0095327X261422200
Campuzano, M. V. (2019). Force and inertia: A systematic review of women’s leadership in male-dominated organisational cultures in the United States. Human Resource Development Review, 18(4), 437–469.
Cock, J. (1991). Women and the military in South Africa. International Journal of Feminist Politics, 2(4), 37–55.
Collins-Dogrul, J., & Ulrich, J. R. (2018). Fighting stereotypes: Public discourse about women in combat. Armed Forces & Society, 44(3), 436–459.
Decew, J. W. (1995). The combat exclusion and the role of women in the military. Hypatia, 10(1), 56–73.
Enloe, C. (2000). Manoeuvres: The international politics of militarising women's lives. Oakland: University of California Press.
Elischer, S. (2026). Towards praetorian-led electoral authoritarianism? Examining the post-coup transitions in francophone Africa. Democratisation, 1–24. https://doi.org/10.1080/13510347.2026.2612727
Fagbadebo, O. (2024). Historicising Coup d’etats in Africa. In A. Akinola (Ed.), The Resurgence of Military Coups and Democratic Relapse in Africa (pp. 29–63). Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-51019-9_2
Fagoyinbo, J. B. (2013). The Armed Forces: Instrument of Peace, Strength. Development and Prosperity. Bloomington: Author House.
Faley, Wallace Abdul. (2026, January 12). Constitutional Coups and Democratic Survival: Regime Types, Term Limits, and the Third-Term Virus in Africa. Retrieved from https://ssrn.com/abstract=6061834
Fenner, L. M., & DeYoung, M. E. (2001). Women in combat: Civic duty or military liability? Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press.
Frankema, E., & Van Waijenburg, M. (2018). Africa rising? A historical perspective. African Affairs, 117(469), 543–568.
Goldstein, A. N. (2018). “Why are you trying to destroy the last good thing men have?” Understanding resistance to women in combat jobs. International Feminist Journal of Politics, 20(3), 385–404.
Hedström, J. (2022). Militarised social reproduction: women’s labour and parastate armed conflict. Critical Military Studies, 8(1), 58–76.
Heinecken, L. (2025). Transition and transformation in managing diversity in the South African armed forces. In Waruszynski, B. T., Yanakiev, Y., & McDonald, D. P. (Eds.), Team Diversity and Inclusion in Defence and Security: International Perspectives (pp. 161–178). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland.
Hernandez‐Swift, K. (2026). Latina identity and military enlistment: The intersection of race, ethnicity, and gender. Feminist Anthropology. https://doi.org/10.1002/fea2.70034
Hutchful, E. (2000). Military and militarism in Africa. CODESRIA Working Paper Series. Dakar: CODESRIA.
Johnson, J. A. (2015). Role of the Military in Underdeveloped Countries. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
MacKenzie, M., & Gunaydin, E. (2021). Does Raising the Combat Exclusion Lead to Equality? Measuring the Recruitment, Retention, and Promotion of Women in Canada and New Zealand’s Defence Forces. Journal of Military and Strategic Studies, 21(2), 108–152.
Mendy, A., & Mendy, O. (2024). The resurgence of military coups and implications for democratic stability in sub-Saharan Africa. Jurnal Politik Indonesia, 10(1), 1–16. https://doi.org/10.20473/jpi.v10i1.50337
Marco-Gracia, F. J., Beltrán Tapia, F. J., & Liczbińska, G. (2025). Did premodern wars impact sex ratios at birth? The case of the 19th-century Basque Country. Human Nature, 36(2), 281–306.
Mills, G. (2019). The soldier and the state in Africa. London: Hurst Publishers.
Muse-Ajumobi, B., & Akinyoade, D. (2025). Yoruba women and pre-colonial warfare in pre-colonial Yorubaland. Ondo Journal of Arts (OJA), 1(1), 459–483.
Myers, J. C. (2026). Female Military Leaders Describe How Social Learning Influences Women’s Career Progression (Doctoral dissertation, Trident University International).
Olubiyo, K. G. (2024). Breaking Gender Walls: Understanding the Changing Roles of Women in the Nigerian Armed Forces. Gender and Women’s Studies, 5(2), 1–17.
Pantuchowicz, A. (2025). From slave trade to fuel tanks: On Benin’s colonial displacements. Tydskrif vir Letterkunde, 62(1), 50–59.
Reis, J., & Menezes, S. (2020). Gender Inequalities in the Military Service: A Systematic Literature Review. Sexuality & Culture, 24, 1004–1018. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12119-019-09662-y
Rossi, N., Riemann, M., Danielsson, A., Larsson, S., West, H., Antrobus, S., & Wibben, A. T. R. (2026). Critical military subjects? Reflections on critical thinking and thinking critically in professional military education. Critical Military Studies, 12(1), 63–83. https://doi.org/10.1080/23337486.2025.2607776
Shamiev, K. (2026). Imperfect Equilibrium: Civil–Military Relations in Russian Defence Policymaking. London: Hurst Publishers.
Sheidu, C. F. (2026). The silent majority: unpacking the gendered politics of African political identity. African Identities, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/14725843.2026.2614303
Sundaram, S. (2026). Rhetorical powers: How rising states shape international order. New York: Columbia University Press.
Thompson, O., Aina, O. S., Oladele, S., Awotayo, O., & Onifade, C. (2026). From colonial legacies to contemporary challenges: Understanding and addressing Nigeria’s fragility. African Identities, 1–20. https://doi.org/10.1080/14725843.2026.2632687
UN Women. (2020). Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. New York: UN Publications.
Waruszynski, B. T. (2025). Future insights on fostering team diversity and inclusion in defence and security—culture, personnel, and leadership. In Waruszynski, B. T., Yanakiev, Y., & McDonald, D. P. (Eds.), Team Diversity and Inclusion in Defence and Security. The Military and Society (pp. 283–305). Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-61125-4_15
Wycliff, S. (2025). Women in precolonial Nigerian warfare. African Identities, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/14725843.2025.2609891
Yusuf, O. N., & Fagbadebo, O. M. (2026). Women, Community Peacebuilding, and Structural Exclusion in Nigeria: Prospects and Persistent Barriers. African Journal of Social and Behavioural Sciences (AJSBS), 16(1), 443–459
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Yusuf. N. Oluwayomi , M. Fagbadebo Omololu, Oluwafemi Awotayo Olagoke
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). You are free to share and adapt the material, provided proper credit is given.
