Gender imbalance in leadership a challenge

Ashley Mujoma

Zimbabwe needs to remove the glass ceiling in leadership positions since gender-balanced leadership is usually associated with better environmental and sustainability performance, Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development minister, Dr Sithembiso Nyoni said.

Speaking at the launch of Women in Leadership and Decision-Making Strategy on Friday, Minister Nyoni said Zimbabwe had ratified a number of international and regional instruments which promote gender equality and women’s empowerment.

“It is however, noted that, gender imbalance in leadership positions remains an acknowledged problem.

“Women continue to fall behind their male colleagues in progressing towards leadership in all sectors, public, private and political,” she said.

Minister Nyoni said gender equality creates conditions to boost economic development and contributes to economic growth.

“Women represent a crucial positive value for the economy and they contribute substantially to economic growth.

“Having a more gender-balanced leadership may induce more women to become more competitive in nature and pursue similar positions, thereby further enlarging the talent pool.”