Equatorial Guinea

Located in western Africa, Equatorial Guinea gained its independence from Spain in 1968. The country now has a per capita income of $36,100, but the standard of living has improved only minimally since the discovery of oil reserves propelled Equatorial Guinea into position as the third largest oil exporter in sub-Saharan Africa. Some 39 percent of the population is now urbanized, but many families are still engaged in subsistence farming. More than 85 percent of agricultural workers are women. The overall unemployment rate is 30 percent.

Although the majority ethnic group is Fang (85.7 percent), there are also small groups of Bubi (6.5 percent), Mdowe (3.6 percent), Annobon (1.6 percent), and Bujeba (1.1 percent). Spanish and French are the official languages, but each ethnic group also speaks its own dialect. Most Equatoguineans are nominally Roman Catholic, but many also participate in indigenous practices. International institutions such as the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund have suspended aid to the country because of corruption and mismanagement. Because it has the poorest human rights record in Africa, Equatorial Guinea, where women are treated as property, is often a hostile environment for women and girls, and women's rights nongovernmental organizations have a difficult time because the government refuses to register them. Gender inequities and domestic violence are major problems, and reports suggest that human trafficking may also be an issue.

Although the constitution grants equality to both men and women, cultural practices demand their subservience. Polygamy is widespread within the Fang culture. Early marriages are also common, and a 2004 United Nations Report indicated that 26 percent of girls between the ages of 15 and 19 years were married, divorced, or widowed. Although women hold equal legal rights to inheritance and property, in practice men take precedence. In line with the perception of women as property, a divorced woman must return a marriage dowry paid to her family, and those who cannot repay the dowry may be imprisoned. Husbands maintain custody of children, but customary law grants women responsibility for caring for children until the age of 7 years. In the late 1990s, there were two women in the 42-member cabinet and five in the 80-member legislature. By 2008, five women sat in the 100-seat Parliament, and one woman was in the cabinet.

As a result of extreme poverty, 65 percent of the population have no reliable access to healthcare. Equatorial Guinea has the 16th highest infant mortality rate (81.58 deaths per 1,000 live births) in the world, and a maternal mortality rate of 820 deaths per 100,000 live births. Female infants (80.46 deaths per 1,000 live births) fare better than male infants (82.68 deaths per 1,000 live births), as do adult women, who have a life expectancy of 62.54 years compared with 60.71 years for men. The median age for women (19.6 years) is also higher than that of men (18.3 years). Ranking 25th in the world in fertility, women give birth to an average of 5.08 children.

Equatorial Guinea ranks 20th in the world in human immunodeficiency virus and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) (3.4 percent) prevalence. Equatoguineans also have a very high risk of contracting bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A, typhoid fever, malaria, yellow fever, and rabies. Spending only 0.6 percent of its budget on education, the government has not made education a priority. Women (80.5 percent) lag behind men (93.4 percent) in literacy. Officially, women (9 years) average 1 year less education than men (10 years), but in practice, it is estimated that girls reach only one-fifth of male educational attainment. It is illegal for a man to beat his wife in public, but the government turns a blind eye when violence occurs inside the home, even thought that is also illegal. Rape laws are rarely enforced because of the perceived shame attached to the victim. No law specifically bans spousal rape. The government has engaged in a public campaign designed to combat violence against women. Although common, both prostitution and sexual harassment are illegal.

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