|
Back to Index
More
needs to be done to ensure a 50/50 representation
Women's Institute for Leadership Development
October 02, 2013
The gender quota
system which is enshrined in the new Constitution
was expected to move the Parliament
of Zimbabwe towards achieving a 50/50 representation. However, women
only make up 35% of
the new parliament with only 68 women as compared to 663 men. This
reflects gender inequalities and the long road ahead. This has been
a result of many factors i.e. historical background and the lack
of commitment from political parties to implement the quota system
and the patriarchal nature of the society we live in. Women’s
organizations also did not do much to ensure for more representation
of women in parliament.
Zimbabwe has
been a signatory of many international gender instruments on women
and gender equality. The country also boasts of having an inclusive
national gender policy and public sector gender policy, yet it continues
to lag behind when it comes to women’s active involvement
in decision making. The question therefore is; where have we missed
the mark as a nation with all these provisions in place? Did women’s
groups do all they can to ensure that the 50/50 representation was
achieved?
Women’s
groups started being visible and active as the elections drew closer,
yet this was supposed to have been done soon after the 2008 elections
to prepare women for the 2013
elections. Women’s challenges politically stem from their
failure to document their experiences and cases from the past elections
to strategize for the future.
Prior to the
elections women in politics pointed out that the gender quota system
was proving to be more of a barrier than an opportunity. In a meeting
organized by the Zimbabwe Institute “to discuss opportunities
arising from the new constitution in order to broaden women’s
political participation,” women in politics raised a number
of issues pointing out that women’s organizations were not
doing much to assist the women in politics in ensuring that the
quota system is adhered to and implemented.
They emphasized
that they lacked resources to campaign and yet women’s organizations
did not come together to fundraise for women contesting as candidates.
Walking around Bulawayo as the elections drew closer, women’s
posters were fewer than that of male candidates. During the Constitution
making process the women’s movement worked diligently
to ensure that women’s concerns were incorporated in the Constitution.
The same spirit should have prevailed in ensuring that vibrant structures
are in place for more women in parliament.
Political parties
also failed to field more women candidates preferring to allow female
candidates to go into parliament through proportional representation
and that was a sign that achieving the 50/50 was going to be virtually
impossible. Taking Rwanda as a case in point, it becomes clearer
where we are going wrong as the women’s movement. The percentage
of women’s participation in Rwanda is all more noteworthy
at 64% maintaining number one spot worldwide. There is a strong
relationship between women’s political representation and
the organized women’s movement. A number of structures are
in place, even way before elections preparing the playing field
for women.
The Ministry
of Gender and Women’s Development established a national system
of women’s councils, grass-root structures operating parallel
to general local councils representing women’s concerns. These
structures are also involved in skills training at local level and
in raising awareness about women’s rights. Furthermore, there
is a Forum of Women Parliamentarians that ensures that women’s
issues are met and also work tirelessly to ensure that more women
take part in decision making. All these electoral structures have
become effective mobilization tools.
In our Zimbabwean
context no structures are in place to effectively work with women
in attaining the 50/50 representation in parliament. As a country
we have to draw lessons from the women of Rwanda and the men who
supported them. Using quotas to support gender equality not only
enables more representative leadership in struggling nations, but
it fosters change, a change that may lead to more effective leadership
and increase the chances for sustainable peace.
Education
for peace…
The world has
not been the same since 1981 when the United Nations General Assembly
adopted Resolution 36/67 establishing the International Day of Peace
(IDP) which stated in part, “…to promoting the ideals
of peace and to giving positive evidence of their commitment to
peace in all viable ways.” Since its inception, thousands
of people host both private and public forums to celebrate this
day and its cause. On the 21st of September Zimbabweans joined the
world in commemorating this prestigious day under the theme “Education
for Peace”.
Despite sharing
the struggle, losses and victories with men in the pre-independence
era, it seems as if women have only been allocated a small share
to the pie of the gains of independence, development and leadership.
It is no surprises that whilst the majority celebrated the IDP,
there are women who sailed in a different ship. Instead of celebrating
they nursed their bruised hearts and three decades after independence
they still lag behind as compared to their male counterparts in
education and development. Although the government has made attempts
at balancing gender disparities by formulating and adopting the
gender policy as well as the gender quota system, there is still
a vast difference in critical areas such as education.
Education is
generally viewed as the key to success but alas there are fewer
females as compared to males at tertiary level (Barnes 2005). Zimbabwe’s
education system is academically oriented and examination-driven.
With more than 300 000 youngsters churned out of the Zimbabwean
schools every year and the harsh economic climate having closed
down industries thereby depleting the job market, most of these
youngsters find themselves vulnerable.
This consequently
leads to a nation with a super structure of a paralyzed and marginalized
female society as males are preferred over them when developmental
opportunities arise. Zimbabwe’s Education Policy states that
all Zimbabweans have the right to basic education overlooking that
by the time children go to school they would have been socialized
into systems that have gender disparities. As if this is not enough,
our schools do not have a high student to teacher ratio especially
in rural areas. This is yet another disadvantage to the girl child
as she isn’t given enough attention to develop her full potential
thus depriving her of a chance to true emancipation, freedom and
peace.
Despite the
challenges that females face to attain their basic right of education,
there is a multitude of women that have made it. Although these
women have worked hard to prove themselves it seems that their voice
is often ignored or overlooked when it comes to critical areas.
In life’s spheres world over there are structural barriers
that inhibit women from education and peace. Whether it is in the
contemporary cities of America, the deep jungles of the Africa or
the heavily populated cities of Asia, women are under appreciated,
over worked, over represented yet ignored when it comes to key leadership
positions. A classic example is the nationwide disappointment over
the gross lack of female representation of a mere 35% in parliament
despite the adoption of the gender quota system. This in itself
is oppressive to women. Regardless of how tough, lengthy or laborious
they struggle to attain education it seems as if women may always
be rated as second class citizens.
The achievement
of gender equality in the educational system should not be viewed
as a goal but a means to the reduction of societal inequalities.
These include reduction of poverty and the attainment of peace.
According to Womankind Worldwide project report on Zimbabwe, one
in three women will experience some form of violence at least once
in her lifetime, 6 out of 10 murder trials in the High Court involve
domestic violence and 62% of HIV positive people are women, many
of them as a result to male sexual violence. Most of these cases
emanate from the fact that males do not appreciate women as equals
due to socialization, patriarchal tendencies and lack of information
on the women’s part. Surely Zimbabwean women have a long way
to go in achieving inner and societal peace which largely translates
to national peace.
There is a tremendous
need for information and education as it has a direct link to the
attainment of independence and peace. I do not dispute the fact
that a tremendous number of women have gained education and have
been emancipated in different ways. However, more can be done there
is light at the end of the tunnel, women must not stop fighting
for the right to education, only then can they find inner peace
which will translate to national peace.
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
|
