Breaking Barriers: A Collaborative Path to Gender Equality in Angola through Collective Intelligence – Part 2

Authors: Accelerator Lab Angola and Maria Casal

29 de November de 2024

In part 1 of this Blog series, we briefly highlighted the context in which the UN Gender Working Group (GWG) in Angola embarked on a collective intelligence journey with the support of the Accelerator Lab Team. Through an interagency sensemaking exercise, the GWG identified critical insights, highlighting the interconnected challenges and opportunities in Angola’s gender equality and women's empowerment landscape.

Here are the key challenges identified by the group:

Limited Access to Economic Resources and Opportunities: Women, particularly in rural areas, face significant barriers to economic empowerment due to restricted access to land rights, financial services, and digital resources. Social norms often limit women’s involvement in high-paying or leadership roles, further restricting economic growth for this group.
Digital and Educational Gaps: Gender disparities in digital literacy and access to quality education limit opportunities for women and girls, especially in fields like STEM. Cultural biases also steer women away from technical and technological careers, leaving them underrepresented in these sectors.
Health and Reproductive Rights: Social and cultural barriers hinder women’s access to essential healthcare services, including family planning and reproductive health. The lack of infrastructure and tailored services affects vulnerable and underrepresented groups, like rural women and the LGBTQI+ community, leading to unmet healthcare needs.
Gender-Based Violence (GBV): GBV remains a pervasive issue in Angola, with limited coordination among agencies to prevent violence and support survivors comprehensively. Effective responses require enhanced support within legal, medical, and police systems, along with community-based approaches that address cultural norms enabling violence.
Data Gaps and Limited Information Sharing: There is a shortage of disaggregated data on gender and LGBTQI+ populations, which hampers targeted interventions and informed policy-making.Enhanced gender sensitive data collection and sharing among agencies are essential for designing effective programs.

Legal and Policy Barriers: Existing legal frameworks often lack clarity or inclusivity, particularly for vulnerable and underrepresented groups like refugees and migrant women. Policies regarding labor rights, land ownership, and justice need updates to be more inclusive and accessible, allowing women to exercise their rights fully.
Lack of Inclusive Infrastructure: Infrastructure development has often been gender-blind, neglecting the specific needs of women and girls. The absence of safe, accessible spaces limits the ability of many women and girls to engage fully in economic, educational, and social activities.
Unpaid Care Work: Traditional social norms place a disproportionate burden of unpaid care work on women, restricting their time, opportunity and autonomy to engage in the workforce or access education and skill development programs.
Intersectionality and Vulnerability: Vulnerable groups, including LGBTQI+ individuals, people with disabilities, people living with HIV, and rural communities, face compounded discrimination, making it harder for them to access services and support.

Addressing these challenges requires systemic changes, interagency collaboration and investments to create a cohesive approach that addresses the root causes of gender inequality in Angola. Here are some top insights that are shaping the group’s focus:

Supporting Vulnerable Groups: Efforts to promote gender equality must prioritize the most vulnerable, including LGBTQI+ individuals, people with disabilities, and rural communities. Addressing these diverse needs requires a targeted approach, ensuring that all voices are heard and represented in the development process.
Economic Empowerment of Women: Economic empowerment is a cornerstone of sustainable development. By improving access to financial services, land rights, and digital resources, women can take greater control over their economic futures. Initiatives like the Women’s Financial Inclusion Forum aim to develop a comprehensive strategy for women in the agricultural sector, paving the way for increased productivity and self-sufficiency.
Education and Digital Literacy: Education is vital for breaking cycles of poverty, and digital literacy is an emerging area of focus. Programs like digital classrooms for rural girls paired with community infrastructure that can enable income generation through more traditional areas such as agriculture, cooking and food processing, highlight the importance of bridging the digital divide. By equipping women and girls with essential tech skills, these programs create pathways into new industries and promote gender balance in the workforce.
Health, Safety, and Access to Justice: Ensuring access to health services, particularly sexual and reproductive health, is essential for women’s well-being. In Angola, social and cultural barriers continue to restrict access to family planning and safe healthcare. The GWG is working with local and international partners to advocate for equitable healthcare, ensuring that women can access the services they need without fear or discrimination.
Addressing Gender-Based Violence: Gender-based violence (GBV) remains a pervasive issue, reflecting the unbalance relations of power and inequalities between women and men, requiring urgent action. The GWG’s collaborative approach promotes comprehensive solutions and mobilizes resources from legal protections and GBV training for police to safe spaces for survivors. By breaking the silence around GBV, the GWG aims to create safer communities for women and girls across Angola.

Building the Future Together

Results from this collective intelligence session informed the UN Gender Working Group’s roadmap which offers a blueprint for transformative change. By fostering partnerships, advocating for rights, and developing practical programs, the GWG seeks to empower women and girls, elevate marginalized voices, and ultimately achieve a more inclusive Angola.

“UN Gender Sensemaking contributed to the creation of joint initiatives and facilitated inter-agency dialogue. With this tool, we are able to structure joint strategic actions that promote greater collaboration and impact in the area of gender. This process also allowed us to identify priority areas for intervention and work in a coordinated manner, strengthening the collective commitment to gender equality.”

Luísa Vieites Rodrigues Gender Officer, UNICEF Angola

For Angola, gender equality is more than a goal, has a multiplier effect for achieving sustained and inclusive economic growth, poverty eradication and sustainable development — it’s the key to unlocking the country’s full potential! Through ongoing collaboration and commitment, the GWG and its partners are leading the charge toward a future where everyone, regardless of gender, can thrive and contribute to the nation’s prosperity.