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Daisy Jeremani Gender Editor
WOMEN were marginalised by successive colonial governments in the areas of human rights, economic empowerment, health, education and decision-making processes. Traditional African prejudices did not help the agenda of women’s emancipation. However, since independence the government has made significant strides in ensuring gender parity and equality in the economy, politics and social spheres, with formerly marginalised women given space to shine. Independence brought with it opportunities through a raft of legislative policies and administrative measures.
These have been reinforced by the new Constitution adopted in 2013 which contains strong provisions for the promotion and attainment of gender equality and women empowerment.
These provisions include non discrimination and gender equality and gender parity clauses on equal representation of women and men in public office and positions of decision making.
The new constitution brought into effect several positive gender equality provisions. Key among these is Section 124 (1) (b) which provides for the creation of special seats for women for a period of 10 years under a party list system of proportional representation. These seats were created in addition to the already existing constituency based seats. So in the last election though numbers of women elected dropped, the legislated quota in the form of proportional representation for women and men as candidates at senate level and reserved 60 seats in the lower house ensured more women inclusion.
The country has seen a rise in the number of women in powerful positions. In the political sphere, Zimbabwe had a female vice-president in Joice Mujuru before she fell from grace by plotting to overthrow President Mugabe. She lost her post in the party and government last year. A few weeks ago, she was fired from the party. Thokozani Khupe was deputy Prime Minister during the inclusive government era, with Cde Edna Madzongwe being the President of Senate. Justice Rita Makarau is the Judge President.
In the corporate sector, influential women include Grace Muradzikwa, Jane Mutasa, Chipo Mutasa and Divine Ndhlukula.
Demonstrating its commitment to the advancement of women, the government also has over the years ratified a number of regional and international treaties, conventions, declarations and protocols on gender and women empowerment.
Among these are the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action Convention on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the 1997 Sadc Declaration on Gender and Development with its addendum on the Prevention and Eradication of Violence against Women and Children.
The government has also followed these up by domesticating these conventions and protocols through enacting several pieces of domestic legislation designed to promote gender equality and women empowerment. Among these are the Sexual Discrimination Removal Act 2001, the National Gender Policy 2004, the Domestic Violence Act and Inheritance Laws. Through these, women have been able to find redress to a plethora of social injustices.
Though domestic violence continues to inflict immeasurable social costs on women, the government through the Ministry of Women Affairs, Gender and Community Development is doing all that it can to curb it.
Today women who yesterday only had access to land through their husbands or other male relatives, now can own it in their own right, as the government realised that eliminating the gender gap in agriculture is crucial to alleviating poverty and improving food security not only for the country, but for women as well.
When the government embarked on the fast track land redistribution programme in 2000 it allocated farms to many women. Today, according to Women and Land in Zimbabwe, women own 20 percent of redistributed land. Eighteen percent of women were allocated land in the A1 scheme, while 12 percent were allocated in the A2 category.
Women can also now inherit, own and register property in their own right and can ascend to traditional chieftaincy without any hindrance, with Chief Ndube of Filabusi, being arguably the first female chief in the country.
All this is because of Uhuru.
The advent of independence saw a rise in the number of schools that the government built and also the rise in the number of girls that enrolled for both primary and secondary education. Through government efforts and advocacy, more families are sending more girls to school than before, thereby empowering the girl child to have a say in issues that affect their lives. Though gender parity at primary and secondary levels with respect to enrolment, attendance and completion rates has been achieved, enrolment gender disparities still need to be addressed at tertiary levels.
Online Reporter