Situating Political Engagement in Their Life Courses and Class Positionalities: Women in Politics in the Republic of Benin

Abstract: Taking an anthropological perspective of the life course, this article contributes to debates on why women’s engagement in politics is so low in West Africa, with special attention to the Republic of Benin. It argues that women’s political engagement must be understood as deeply entangled with their multiple relations, especially their positioning in roles related to gender and the life course. Given that they must balance their engagement with husbands, children, parents, friends, and siblings through different life stages, their willingness to enter politics may change over time. As they experience and describe politics as a dirty and dangerous space, they often seek to protect themselves and their kin. At the same time, their presence in politics confirms deepening inequalities and class-building processes.