Être femme « autonome » dans les capitales africaines : les cas de Dakar et Lomé

This study deals with the situation of women who are self-sufficient in two African capitals (Dakar and Lomé). They are unmarried and are either tenants or owners of their homes. This phenomenon differs from one country to another. Results show that despite the delay of the age of the marriage in Dakar, self-sufficient young single women are still rare. Only 1 % of the women in Dakar are self-sufficient at the age of 23 versus 7 % in Lomé. In Dakar, it is not well perceived that young single women live alone. It goes against traditional fundamentals of the familial institution. The access to the marital and residential autonomy usually happens later on. At age 55, 57 % of the women in Dakar are in this situation. The majority of these women are widows. In Lomé, the situation is quite different. At the age of 25, more women in Lomé than in Dakar have known the marital and residential autonomy. For the youngest generation, 20 % of the women have already known a period of autonomy versus 4 % for the women in Dakar. This difference can be explained by the fact that in Togo, more social value is given to women’s paid work. Also, in Lomé and not in Dakar, marriage does not mean that the husband is solo liable to take care of the needs of the household. In these conditions, either as a married or single woman, living in a home and being financially responsible for it while working, is an easier situation to deal with for women in Lomé.