Gender Equality and Democratic Development in the SADC Region

ABSTRACT Gender inequality in the developing nations remains a pressing issue despite recent policies aimed at improving equality. Data from 14 selected SADC countries between 2002 and 2023 is used. The t ‐test method is employed for comparative analysis. The “Feasible Generalized Least Squares,” the “Panel Correlated Standard Errors,” and the Two‐Stage Least Squares techniques are employed for regression analysis. Major findings reveal the existence of significant differences in the gender equality of democratic and non‐democratic countries, with democratic countries exhibiting high levels of gender equality. Regression shows that democracy supports gender equality, though asymmetric effects are observed where its importance is more acute among democratic countries. Human development symmetrically supports gender equality in all SADC countries. Institutional quality and agriculture promote gender equality, but asymmetric effects exist, as their significant positive results are depicted in non‐democratic countries and detrimental and/or insignificant in democratic ones. Urbanization poses negative effects on gender equality in democratic countries and insignificant ones in non‐democratic countries. These findings offer crucial policy implications for gender equality enhancement in the SADC region, with the possibility of generalization to developing countries with similar characteristics.