The challenges of the demographic dividend for African countries A gender perspective
Conclusion Gender equality as both a cause and a consequence
of the demographic dividend
Achieving gender equality and the empowerment of
women is both the cause, the consequence and one of the
conditions of the demographic dividend. According to the
level of demographic transition in each country, the priori-
ties of the public policies implemented are different, but all of them must take into account the establishment of
a favourable environment, a "gender ecosystem", which
includes the strong commitment by political authori-
ties on this agenda, the insurance of a truly egalitarian education from primary school to university; the promotion
of reproductive health and family planning, and lastly the creation of conditions of employability of young people
and women with the guarantee of a minimum of protection to free them from the poverty traps.
More widely speaking, public policies, which target
demographic transition in order to benefit from the
potentialities of the demographic dividend will also make
it possible to contribute to the solution of the challenges
emerging from the African continent and the well-being of its populations: mass unemployment of young people,
commitment in terms of sustainable development, economic and technological integration as well as the
reduction of all inequalities, first and foremost gender inequalities.
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