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In a matriarchal society, it is the average woman who has significantly more influence, choice and power to control her environment than the average man. In Zimbabwe, feminist organisations such as the Women of Zimbabwe Arise (Woza), Zimbabwe Women Lawyers Association (ZWLA), Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCoZ) and Musasa Project, rose to correct the social disparities based on gender so as to attain equality. This was indeed a true and noble move because from time immemorial, women had no basic rights, unlike men.
I truly applaud these organisations such as the Musasa Project for standing firm in challenging violence against women, which was culturally acceptable within traditional societies. This also extends to other bona fide institutions that have several times engaged in collective activism on issues affecting women and the girl child in Zimbabwe.
Violence against women, their discrimination in the workplace, in educational institutions and oppression in most families has to be surely shunned by all and sundry.
However, my great concern in this age is on issues and the plight of men and the boy child.
Not that I am a chauvinist. In as much as these feminist movements champion the needs and interests of women, the main problem is that they tend to focus on just one side of the equation which is in tandem with the interests of women only.
By focusing more on women’s rights in evidently male dominated societies, we may run the risk of failing to solve the inequality that exists between men and women. Due to the influence from women organisations, the power of men in the societies seems to be slowly dwindling. Hence some men are now developing a “women rights” phobia.
There is no gender “balance” as purported by feminists because for this balance to be attained no one gender should emerge as more powerful than the other. It must be a movement that encompasses the needs of both parties.
There should exist a true gender balance that favours both sexes if our nation is to progress. Equality of both sexes has to be championed without the selection of either of the two especially in advocacy issues.
We have to take what nature gave us — women are indeed equal to men because without either, there is no human race to speak of.
Generally, women have gained ground in the gradual movement of championing their rights. This is significant in all spheres.
In Zimbabwe we have the likes of Cde Joice Mujuru as the Vice-President and Thokozani Khupe as the Deputy Prime Minister. Around the globe we have seen countries such as Germany being led by a woman, Chancellor Angela Merkel, Dilma Rousseff (Brazil), Joyce Banda (Malawi) and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (Liberia), among others.
Suddenly from a humble cry for recognition, we are noticing a sharp rise in matriarchy against male dominance because women issues and rights have taken the centre stage, among other issues of importance.
Politics seem to be bending more in serving women’s interests and whenever any gender is mentioned in a situation that demands political action, it is exclusively for the benefit of women.
How about the boy child and men at the same end with marginalised women? Is their plight treated with the same level of importance as women issues or they are merely derided? Therefore, men’s rights and issues affecting them in the closet should be also dealt with in order to attain true gender parity.
Otherwise if this predicament is not dealt with now in its embryonic stage, one foresees a future society that is in disequilibrium in terms of gender just like in the past. However, in this future society, women will dominate and their male counterparts will be disempowered and reduced into mere social figures with no say both in the private or public sphere of their lives.
Men may still retain their positions in the public domain but women will be pulling the strings due to the immense supporting civic and legal frameworks including women’s rights, women protection, girl child rhetoric and other civic liberties favouring women.
It is my great concern that as the world leaders champion the rights and liberties of women with a vision of correcting gender imbalances that existed in the patriarchal society, they should also ensure that their efforts do not create a new form of gender inequality that parachutes women into positions and contexts that are above their male counterparts.
This is essential for economic and social progress in our country because gender inequality stifles development in all facets of life as we witnessed in ancient male-dominated societies.
This week the nation embraced the commemoration of Culture Week with the theme “Empowerment through cultural initiative”. This peculiar week also coincided with the Africa Day celebrations on 25 May. Therefore, it is the prerogative of African leaders to ensure that true gender equality is attained and maintained so that both sexes are provided with equal opportunities of empowerment without any discrimination. This is an essential ingredient necessary for the prevalence of peace and stability among families, communities, societies and nations at large. Otherwise the modern democracy will slowly but surely drive our society towards a new form of gender imbalance.
True gender equality has been demonstrated by the heavens since parallel to the talk of famous prophets and pastors such as TB Joshua, Makandiwa, Pastor Chris and others, God has also shown His benevolence by choosing and using women as His instrument for furthering His kingdom. He has shown that He also cherishes the equality of both sexes although there are certain social institutions in the religious circles that thwart women from being active like men.
Gender parity in the spiritual world has seen the emergence of powerful women preachers along their male preachers such as Pastor Mai Charamba, Tshifhiwa Irene, Mpfariseni Mukhuba, prophetess Juanita Bynum and our very own Zimbabwean daughters of the soil such as Maureen Shana and Eunor Guti. Most of these women evangelists like certain Nigerian preachers exorcise people of demonic spirits, a gift long associated with men.
This is a good example that we should emulate our creator rather than engage in selfish activism that seeks to favour one sex over another in the name of correcting social imbalances. I fear that such self-seeking endeavours and motives by some activists will serve to only plunge society into social and economic turmoil.
Emmanuel Ndlovu is a journalist who also writes for uMthunywa and his contacts are: 0775045970/ [email protected]
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