MY BODY IS MY OWN
Nearly half of women, girls ‘do not own their bodies’, UN says
Women’s autonomy in refusing risky sex in sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence from 30 countries
Women’s healthcare decision-making and unmet need for contraception in Mali
Your Body. My Soul.
Overview
This lesson aims to give students the opportunity to gain knowledge on the relationship between democracy and women's bodily autonomy in Mali. The topics disccused is formatted to make students think critically about the ways in which democracy may show up differently across the world and how it shows up affects various topics.
What is Democracy?
Start the lesson off with an interactive activity that will allow students to think answer two questions that they will revisit at the end of the lesson to see what has changed (if anything does change). Give students at least 5 minutes for each question to participate in the activity.
Take the time to think about what democracy means to you. What are the first things that come to mind when you hear the word democracy? Scan the QR Code below and share the words and/or phrases that came to mind with the rest of the group. If you are doing this lesson independtly, jot down what comes to mind and keep it close. You will revisit this question toward the end of the lesson.
What is Bodily Autonomy?
Take the time to think about what comes to mind when you hear the phrase "bodily autonomy." Like you did in the previous section, you can either scan the QR code to share with the rest of the group, or jot down your ideas and save them for later in the lesson.
The Foundation
Democracy in simple terms can be defined as "government by the people." A more in depth defintion would include the aspect of representation in different parts of government, processes of elections, citizens' rights and freedoms, and ensuring that all groups are being treated equally. However, there is so much to consider when speaking about such a layered concept.
Democracy can show up in multiple forms and be implemented differently. The way democracy shows up in the United States can be completely different in other parts of the world like Africa. Cultural, economic, political, external and historical factors play a significant role in determining the ways in which democracy is carried out.
Food for Thought:
- What does democracy in the United States look like?
- What does democracy in Africa look like?
Consider these two questions as you navigate through the rest of the lesson.
If you want to learn more about democracy, you can watch the YouTube video below.
What does democracy look like in Africa?
As stated in the previous section, democracy looks different in various parts of the world. But in this lesson, we will be focusing on Africa. Although all countries in Africa do not have a democractic form of government, democracy in Africa is robust and evergrowing throughout the continent.
When examining democracy in Africa, it is important to keep the history of the continent in mind. The presence of colonial powers began in the 15th century when European exploration and trade on Africa started. The most notable period of colonization can be linked to "The Scramble for Africa" that occurred in the 19th century, marking the division of African territory among European powers. External parties raced to get a chance at exploiting African countries for personal economic and strategic gains. Governing practices eventually changed to fit the expectations and desires of outside powers, thus resulting in a domino effect for every other aspect of society. Colonial rule within the nations began to disrupt the day-to-day lives of the indigeneous people. The decolonization of Africa occurred in the mid-1950s to 1975. A series of political developments - including violence, revolts, and unrest - led to the countries regaining and in some cases gaining for the first time, their autonomy.
The time following post colonial rule was very challenging for most of Africa. The governance structures imposed by colonial powers often disregarded ethnic, cultural, and tribal boundaries. The suppression of traditional governance led to a gap between modern democractic ideals and indigenous practices. Lasting effects of colonial rule also led to slow development, increased lack of education, failing governments, and continuation of certain practices implemented by external parties.
Bodily Autonomy in Africa
A prominent issue in some countries in Africa is women's lack of bodily autonomy. Unlike other developed countries, developing countries are found to have the highest percentage of women that don't make their own decisions regarding sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Quick Facts:
- Nearly half of women and adolescent girls in developing countries are denied the right to choose whether the want to have sec with the partners, use contraception, or seek healthcare
- In countries Mali, Niger, and Senegal, more than 90% of women are deprived of their bodily autonomy.
Activity: Take the time to read the resources attached to this section to learn more about this prevalent issue. The country that we will focus on is Mali. Although Mali is our point of focus, pinpoint other trends that you may notice and make a small note of the countries that pique your interest.
A Glimpse Inside Their World
Women in Mali face a multitude of challenges regarding their bodily autonomy. 90% of women don't make their own healthcare decisions. The patriarchal ideology can be a prominent factor in regulation by a secondary role. Contraception barriers such as lack of information, gender norms, legal requirements, violence, and/or the healthcare system also play a role. Taking into account that less than half of women in Mali have an education, it isn't surprising that most young women lack the proper information about contraception and health services tailored to meet their needs. Cultural norms encourage fertility and require women to seek authorization from their husbands for certain contraceptive procedures. Thus making it harder for them to make their own decisions.
Cultural practices like early marriage, domestic violence, and female genital mutilation are also contributing factors. While onlookers may see these practices as harmful, it is important to think about how the people in Mali see them as normal. There is no set definition for early marriage. So, what the U.S. deems as early, may not be early in other places. It's vital to not let personal opinions overshadow the harsh reality.
While looking through the articles attached to this section, consider the following question and take note of what you come up with:
- What does this issue have to with democracy?
Remember to consider all the democracy encompasses. It's not just a simple concept that can be explained in one sentence. It requires context and one to think about historical implications, culture, and external factors.
How does democracy contribute to lack of women’s rights and equality?
In the previous section, you were tasked with answering how lack of bodily autonomy and democracy coincide with each other. Below are a few points that you should have thought of when answering the question. It is okay if you missed anything listed because you can just add to what u already have. If you thought of anything that was wasn't listed, please feel free to share with others what else you wrote and why u thought it contributed.
Factors:
- Government
- Form of government
- Women's representation in government
- If women are elected in official positions, do they represent the greater majority of the women that make up the population? Are their voices and opinions actually heard when they speak out on certain topics?
- Education access for women
- Citizen freedom and government engagement
- Economy, poverty, and development
Deep Dive
Quick Facts:
Government:
- Type: Republic
- Independence: September 22, 1960
- Constitution
- Branches
- Excective - president (chief of state and commander in chief of the armed forces) & prime minister (head of government)
- Legislative - National Assembly (sole legislative arm)
- Judicial - Supreme Court (judicial and administrative powers)
- Political parties: Multiparty democracy
- Suffrage: Universal at 18
Education:
Percent of educated women in Mali compared to the world average of 91.74%
- 43.4% (2018)
- 38.45% (2020)
Poverty:
- 49.3% of Malians live below the poverty line
- Poverty rates increased from 15.9% (2021) to 19.1% (2022)
- Fluctuation in commodity prices has resulted in a low-income economy
- Commodity prices: the fluctuating values of goods like natural resources, agricultural products, and metals in the market
- Rapic population growth
- 5.88 children per woman
Activity: I have attached a link to the Afrobarometer website. Please use this resource to do a deeper dive on statistics of Mali. A few things that you should look at are women's representation in government, women's access to education, economic conditions, citizens' involvement in government, and anything else you think can help you better understand the dynamic of women's autonomy over their body. When you see something that you find interesting, don't just take note of it. Ask yourself how you think it contributes to the topic of discussion. Remember that almost everything plays a role, whether that be directly or indirectly.
Reflection
Now that you have read through the lesson, I want you to return to the two QR codes at the beginning of the lesson. Answer the two of the questions and think of how your answers changed. If they changed, explain why. If they didn't explain why they stayed the same.
Democracy is a very intricate concept. There are so many factors that play a part in the way democracy is carried out. Those same factors also influence and are partly responsible for other issues that various countries face. In this lesson, the issue discussed was the lack of bodily autonomy in Mali. Statistics of poverty, education, economic conditions, citizens' involvement in government, etc. served as an explanantion to the high secondary roles having the final say. But due to cultural norms, Malians may not see this as an issue. The ways of the Malians that outsiders deem as "harmful" may be viewed as perfertly normal by the Mali citizens.
Activity: In Section 5, you were supposed to write down at least one country that piqued your interest when looking through the MY BODY MY OWN resource. Use the Afrobarometer to do a similar evaluation on how democracy or the lack of democracy is causing the statistics on women's bodily autonomy in the country.