:Women in Namibia

HIV/AIDS is largely prevalent within Namibia. HIV-related deaths reached its peak in 2004, when 12,000 people died, but has since declined to around 2,900 deaths in 2021.{{Cite web |title=Namibia |url=https://www.unaids.org/en/regionscountries/countries/namibia |access-date=2023-01-21 |website=www.unaids.org |language=en}}

The socioeconomic status of women remains a significant indicator of HIV status.{{Cite journal |last1=Ekholuenetale |first1=Michael |last2=Onuoha |first2=Herbert |last3=Ekholuenetale |first3=Charity Ehimwenma |last4=Barrow |first4=Amadou |last5=Nzoputam |first5=Chimezie Igwegbe |date=2021 |title=Socioeconomic Inequalities in Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Sero-Prevalence among Women in Namibia: Further Analysis of Population-Based Data |journal=International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health |language=en |volume=18 |issue=17 |pages=9397 |doi=10.3390/ijerph18179397 |issn=1660-4601 |pmc=8431544 |pmid=34501987|doi-access=free }} Of the poorest women in Namibia, the HIV prevalence rate is at 21.4%, compared to the richest households with an HIV prevalence rate of 3.7%.

Large strides have been made in the last decade to decrease the rate of maternal mortality in Namibia. In 2017, maternal mortality was at a rate of 195 deaths per 100,000 live births, down from 358 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2004.{{Cite web |title=Maternal mortality ratio (modeled estimate, per 100,000 live births) - Namibia {{!}} Data |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SH.STA.MMRT?end=2017&locations=NA&start=2000&view=chart |access-date=2023-02-06 |website=data.worldbank.org}} Life expectancy of women in Namibia has also improved. In 2020, the female life expectancy was 67 years, a large gap from 53 years in 2004.{{Cite web |title=Life expectancy at birth, female (years) - Namibia {{!}} Data |url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.LE00.FE.IN?locations=NA |access-date=2023-02-06 |website=data.worldbank.org}}

The nation's 1990 constitution guarantees women equal protection under law and prohibits gender discrimination.{{Cite journal |date=January 2015 |title=Women's Property Rights In Namibia: An Investigative Report to Determine The Potential for Litigation |url=https://www.uwyo.edu/law/experiential/_files/intl-files/namibia.pdf |journal=University of Wyoming Human Rights Clinic}}{{Cite web |title={{!}} Human Development Reports |url=http://hdr.undp.org/en/composite/GII |access-date=2019-02-24 |website=hdr.undp.org}} Although unprecedented for its time, there is much to be done to close the gender gap between men and women in Namibia.

Domestic violence remains a large concern in Namibia. On average 26.7% of Namibian women between ages 15–49 have experienced domestic and/or sexual violence at least once, with 52% of these women aged 15–19.{{Cite web |title=Proportion of ever-partnered women and girls aged 15-49 years subjected to physical and/or sexual violence by a current or former intimate partner in the previous 12 months |url=https://www.who.int/data/gho/data/indicators/indicator-details/GHO/proportion-of-ever-partnered-women-and-girls-aged-15-49-years-subjected-to-physical-and-or-sexual-violence-by-a-current-or-former-intimate-partner-in-the-previous-12-months |access-date=2023-02-06 |website=www.who.int |language=en}}

Namibia outlawed marital rape in 2000.{{cite web |title=Refworld | Namibia: Domestic violence, including state protection, services and recourse available to victims |url=http://www.refworld.org/docid/4e437a202.html |access-date=2013-08-17 |publisher=Unhcr.org}}

The nation's 1990 constitution guarantees women equal protection under law and prohibits gender discrimination.{{Cite journal|date=January 2015|title=Women's Property Rights In Namibia: An Investigative Report to Determine The Potential for Litigation|url=https://www.uwyo.edu/law/experiential/_files/intl-files/namibia.pdf|journal=University of Wyoming Human Rights Clinic}}{{Cite web|url=http://hdr.undp.org/en/composite/GII|title={{!}} Human Development Reports|website=hdr.undp.org|access-date=2019-02-24}}File:Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila (2015).jpg, the current and first female Prime Minister of Namibia]]

Within the past decade, Namibia has seen increased pushes for the representation of women in parliament. In 2004, women constituted 29% of all parliament members, placing Namibia at seventeenth in the world for female representation in parliament.{{Cite journal |last=Bauer |first=Gretchen |date=2004 |title='The Hand That Stirs the Pot Can Also Run the Country': Electing Women to Parliament in Namibia |url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/3876136 |journal=The Journal of Modern African Studies |volume=42 |issue=4 |pages=479–509 |doi=10.1017/S0022278X04000370 |jstor=3876136 |s2cid=154703040 |issn=0022-278X}} In 2014, the South West Africa People's Organisation introduced a policy committing to filling half of its seats in parliament with women, in addition to a "zebra" system in which a male prime minister would have a female deputy minister and vice versa. As of 2021, 44% of the Namibian parliament has seats filled by women.

In March 2015, Saara Kuugongelwa was appointed as Prime Minister of Namibia, making her the first woman to serve as Namibian Prime Minister.{{Cite web |title=Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila |url=https://www.councilwomenworldleaders.org/saara-kuugongelwa-amadhila.html |access-date=2023-01-21 |website=Council of Women World Leaders |language=en}}

{{reflist}}