Online Reporter
MARCH is globally recognised as Women’s Month, a period dedicated to celebrating the remarkable contributions of women and advocating for the non-negotiable goal of gender equality.
In Zimbabwe, this month — anchored by International Women’s Day on March 8 — serves as a vital checkpoint to reflect on the strides made toward the emancipation of the girl child and the empowerment of the woman.
While various initiatives, such as the Every Stage of Woman Campaign, highlight critical issues like reproductive health and leadership, we must ensure the narrative of success is not confined to our sparkling urban boardrooms and political offices.
As we celebrate, the spotlight must shine brightest on the rural woman — the bedrock of our national food security and the silent engine of our communal development. Zimbabwe’s rural areas are home to countless heroines whose work often goes unnoticed. These are the women who wake up before the sun to tend to the fields, ensuring that the nation’s breadbasket remains full.
They are the primary caregivers who walk long distances to fetch water and firewood, yet still find the resolve to lead community savings clubs and local school development committees.
Despite their industry, their stories are frequently drowned out by the clamour of urban discourse.
The rural woman faces a double-edged sword of marginalisation. While women across the board contend with gender inequality, those in the hinterlands are disproportionately affected by the lack of infrastructure, limited access to modern healthcare, and the biting effects of climate change.
Poverty remains a formidable barrier, making their path to total emancipation significantly steeper than that of their urban counterparts.
However, the Second Republic’s “Leaving No One and No Place Behind” philosophy provides a beacon of hope.
For Zimbabwe to achieve its Vision 2030 goals, the rural woman must be at the centre of the development matrix.
Women constitute 52 percent of our population, it is both a moral and economic imperative that they are not left behind. Studies by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank underscore that closing the gender gap in the labour force could add trillions to the global Gross Domestic Product.
Locally, this translates to a simple truth: when the rural woman is empowered with land rights, agricultural inputs and financial literacy, the entire village — and by extension, the entire nation — prospers.
Government has indeed made significant strides in legislative and policy frameworks to promote equality.
Yet, as we celebrate this month, we call for more robust collaborations between the State, the private sector, and civil society to bridge the rural-urban divide. Let us use this March not just for speeches and slogans, but to remember and honour the unsung heroines in our villages.
Their resilience is the thread that holds our social fabric together. We must commit to ensuring that their work is noticed, their voices are heard and their contributions are rewarded with the dignity they deserve.
Sidumisile Mabena