Back to Index

The Election Eye - Issue 1
Election Resource Centre
March 16, 2011

Download this document
- Acrobat PDF version (1.49MB)
If you do not have the free Acrobat reader on your computer, download it from the Adobe website by clicking here

The silent majority . . . celebrating the role of women in Zimbabwe's democratization

"When women are fully involved, the benefits are immediate - families are healthier and better fed and their income, savings and investments go up. And what is true of families is also true of communities and in the long run, of countries." United Nations former Secretary General Kofi Annan

Zimbabwe joins the rest of the world in commemorating the International Women's Day on the 8th of March 2011. The day was first observed 100 years ago as a struggle of women to participate in society on an equal footing with men. Celebrations are mainly centred on women's economic, political and social achievements.

It is sad to not that as the world celebrates International Women's Day, Zimbabwean women still face vast obstacles in pursuit of development. Poverty, exclusion, violence and discrimination remain the biggest threats to women's progress in post-independent patriarchal Zimbabwe. Disenfranchisement of women emanates from pre-colonial era when women were expected to be submissive to their male counterparts. The societal values that have been nurtured and cherished over the years are inclined towards overshadowing the transformation of women. The social construction of gender results from the way societies have organised word and distributed resources, including power.

Invariably, in Zimbabwe, women are allocated subordinate positions relative to men; the tasks they carry out are less valued though they tend to carry a heavier burden in social reproductive tasks. The imbalances that exist between men and women as well as asymmetrical power relations are thus considered political, since they determine the allocation of resources to men and women in a given socio-cultural context.

In Zimbabwe, women constitute 52% of the electorate and they are the ones that participate the most in politics, but when it comes to the government structures and positions that form decision makers, men are always on the forefront. The ERC conducted a Voter's Roll analysis in May 2010 which revealed that out of the 5,872,473 registered voters 3,025,113 (51%) are women. According to Women in Politics Support Unit (WIPSU), women occupy only 13.7% of cabinet, 14.2% of seats in the lower house of parliament and 33.3% in the senate. In addition, women occupy only 16.9% seats in both urban and rural councils. Women's participation in elections remains insignificant as their role has traditionally been confined to voting and supporting men who stand as candidates.

Obstacles to women's participation in democracy include:

• Gender stereotype and patriarchy
• Psychological and traditional barriers-men are superior than women
• Inequalities in education, training and access to resources
• Virility deficiency - women's conception of politics. It is for the stronger sex, those who have all it take to compete in the turbulent environment, those who can use force and violence when it is required.
• Pull her down syndrome-women look down upon each other. In Zimbabwe, women constitute 52% of the total population and 51% of the electorate. Who then votes for these men?
• Lack of affirmative action - there must be policies and action to stop discrimination based on sex and gender.

The Zimbabwean constitution does not expressly prohibit discrimination on grounds of sex. The Zimbabwean political environment still permits further subjugation and repression of women whose rights are gravely abused. In 2008, political violence erupted throughout Zimbabwe as a result of the contested national elections. Zimbabwean women. Targeted for their political affiliations, were abducted from their workplaces and homes, raped, tortured and beaten in secret torture centres.

It is estimated that from May to July 2008, 2000 women and girls were victims of rape, (Research and Advocacy Unit - RAU - Report, 2009). The local police ignored these women's pleas for protection and justice, and national leaders have been equally unresponsive to local and international demands for an end to the violence. To date, nothing has been done to compensate such victims of politically motivated repression. Violence denies women the right to personal development, security, respect and dignity. It is sad to note that women and girls have to bear the brunt of political violence perpetrated by vicious egotistical male leaders.

As the country celebrates the 100th Anniversary of international Women's Day, it should be reiterated that women deserve due recognition as active and equal members of society therefore Zimbabwean women are urged to resist all forms of discrimination.

Download full document

Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.

TOP