Brian Rungano Temba
Zimbabwe, this week, joined the world to commemorate International Women’s Day celebrating female voices, among those voices, one called for an environment that allows women to prosper.
In her recent IWD speech, Minister for Women Affairs, Small and medium Enterprise Development Dr Sthembiso Nyoni said there is a need to raise awareness on gender issues and needs.
“Issues like access to public service and sustainable infrastructure have to be revisited for better gender equality,” said Minister Nyoni.
Cabinet in November 2020 approved the National Human Settlement Policy that seeks to improve designs and utilities of human settlements.
One of the features of this policy was the inclusion of Women’s clubs and youth recreation centers.
Such social amenities nurture leaders, organizers just like other socializing institutions like schools and churches except these spaces are reserved for women thus removed of patriarchal influence.
The women’s quota system had expired at it’s 10 year term and Public Hearings were held in 2020 to get feedback on its re-entry in a recent Constitution Amendment Bill from the people.
Veritas, a self proclaimed legal watchdog made the statement that it would be a waste of time.
“Most Women Quota are selected through patronage and do not challenge Patriarchal attitudes ,” said Veritas.
Conservative utterances of this nature conveniently ignore the impact of progressive women in parliament such as Ministers of Youth, Sports, Arts and Recreation; Kirsty Coventry.
Not to mention the numbers women, youthful and elderly, command in the country’s population.
World Data Atlas said in 2020 there are 91.26 men for every 100 women in Zimbabwe.
The gender spans across demographics with domineering numbers showing why it is necessary to improve environments that allow women to meet and build.
Recent Comments