How to break the glass ceiling in Mali?

The book on Malian women in politics, entitled Comment briser le plafond de verre?: Une recherche engagée sur la participation politique des femmes maliennes, has just been published by researchers of the LACET research lab. The book is the result of the Citizen Perspectives on Societal Challegenges in Mali-project led by Uppsala University's Forum for Africa Studies.

This comparative political ethnography is based on field research carried out by 13 researchers in 20 research sites. By listening to the stories of female politicians themselves, the study analyzes the opportunities and constraints related to women's "breakthrough" in politics. The interviews with female politicians are interwoven with ethnographic case studies, including the process of developing the Law No. 2015-052 of December 18, 2015, for the promotion of gender in access to nominative and elective offices.

Today, many more women are municipal councilors, even though the number of female mayors still remains modest. However, in the National Transitional Council—the interim parliament since 2020—the number of women is growing, even if the figure is still below the 30% prescribed by law. This comparative political ethnography notes that there is "a quiet change," taking place discreetly and under the radar. Indeed, in Mali, the glass ceiling is not broken once for all, but is teared down "little by little," in daily struggles and local engagements. Join the Book Launch on Friday 17 Oct., 10.15-12.00, ENG7-0043, Engelska Parken, Thunbergsv. 3H.

Hagberg, S., Y.F. Koné, B. Koné, A. Sylla, F. Camara, B. Coulibaly, A. Diabaté, N. Traoré, L. Bello, M. Coulibaly, F. Diabaté, F. Fofana et M. Sidibé. 2025. Comment briser le plafond de verre?: Une recherche engagée sur la participation politique des femmes maliennes. Uppsala Papers in Africa Studies 10. Uppsala: Uppsala University.