The wave of democratization on the African continent and the political changes afoot since the 1980s have led to greater participation of women in the public domain, and women have developed strategies to attain certain financial autonomy in the private sphere. However in both the public and privates spheres, gender relations are still characterized by discrimination. These essays in both French and English present strategies to encourage the participation of women in the public domain; and demonstrate the increasing importance of gender questions amongst young African researchers.