Gender disparity should not be a weapon to eliminate women from participating in national, regional and international politics.
Women have been sidelined for many years in Zimbabwe to the extent that it has been difficult for them to participate in national politics. According to a discussion during Identities Umthlobo Zvatiri Show in Harare on June 30 2018, former Harare West legislator Jessie Majome said, “Women have a role to play in contemporary politics.’’
Women’s participation in politics has been crucial since they advance gender equality. There is strong evidence that as more women are elected into office, there is a correlation in the increase in policies that change the quality of life prioritising families and women and other crucial issues. Where women are not fully represented laws crafted sideline them.
Madeline Albright said, “Women in power can be counted on to raise issues that others overlook, to support ideas that others oppose, and to seek an end to abuses that others accept.’’ Thus without the voice of women in politics, cases of child and women abuses can continue to escalate without action taken.
The positive effect of women in politics is undeniable. Former United Secretary General Kofi Annan once said, “Study after study has taught us there is no tool for development more effective than the empowerment of women. No other policy is as likely to raise productivity or to reduce child and maternal mortality.’’
Furthermore, as humans we should not take gender as a weapon to eliminate women from participating in politics and to assume positions that were traditionally considered to be for man. If women get all the respect they deserve surely they can develop our nation. Mechelle Bachet, President of Chile [2014-2018] rightly puts it, “When one woman is a leader, it changes her, when more women are leaders it changes politics and policies.’’
According to some school of thought, evidence shows that women leaders are more likely to respond to public needs and tend to cooperate across party lines. In this regard it is safe for one to argue that despite the role women play in nurturing their families they can also be involved in national politics.
It is on a sad note that women constitute the majority of the population in Zimbabwe but they are not involved in politics as much as anticipated. Majome said, “Out of the 210 constituencies 105 constituencies should be given to women in order to have a gender-balanced parliament.’’ A report by European Union Election Observer Mission indicates that the participation of women in politics in Zimbabwe is still below the standard as witnessed during last year’s election whereby in the direct election for 210 seats in the National Assembly only 14,75 percent of candidates were women. If women are fully represented in politics\parliament then they can be able to air their views and be in a position to amend laws.
Zimbabwe should embrace how other countries respect women. In England we talk of Queen Elizabeth, Theresa May, in Chile we talk of Mechelle Bachet and in Zambia we talk of Joyce Banda. Yes great thanks to President Emmerson Mnangagwa for opening leadership doors for women for the first time in history, Oppah Muchinguri is now the Minister of Defence and War Veterans. Long back a few women who participated in national politics were given peripheral positions. With this exciting development we hope the President is going to appoint more women into influential positions.
The media should play a part in women’s participation in political life. In 1995, the Inter -Parliamentary Union stated that the media can help to instill among the public the idea that women’s participation in political life is an essential part of democracy. It is clear that women themselves can take care to avoid giving negative /minimizing images of women [stereotypes]. When women are appointed to ministerial positions they should not be given stereotypical portfolios such as social warfare and women’s affairs but rather they have the ability to be in charge of economic and political portfolios. Therefore it can be noted that women have the capacity to play critical roles [political and economic] that can take our nation to the Promised Land. It is high time to give women space so that they can prove themselves against all sorts of names they have been subjected to so far.
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