This article is an analytical review of gender science in Russian African studies. Under modern geopolitical conditions Africa is becoming an important vector of foreign policy and international economic cooperation for Russia. The development of further mutually beneficial ties between our countries requires expanding and deepening knowledge about each other. Russian scholars of Africa play an important role in that process. In recent decades significant gender shifts have taken place in a number of African states: women are taking an active part in public and political life, gender equality is being ensured at regional and national levels, including the electoral process which is one of the most accurate indicators of the democratization in society. It is noted that the realities and prospects in the formation of gender balance in social and political life in African countries have common trends, but in some cases the significant country specificity exists. The author of the article indicates the reasons for the considerable increase in the representation of women in legislative and executive bodies in several countries of the continent, as well as the obstacles that impede social and political activity of African women.