By Thelma Wandayi
Zimbabwe, a country known for its partriachal political structure is witnessing a concerning decrease in the number of women participating in politics.
In a distressing revelation, the number of women in the country’s National Assembly has significantly declined from 2008 till today.
Statistics from Women and Law Southern Africa (WLSA), show that, the number of women in the National Assembly was 15% in 2008 and for past 15 years has plummeted to a staggering low of 10.5% .
Women advocacy groups such as Women’s Academy for Leadership and Political Excellence (WALPE) and Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe (WCOZ) have bemoaned this decrease in female representation.
WALPE in a statement said, “What is even gloomier to note is that all women candidates from smaller political parties as well as independent candidates failed to garner any seats in Parliament,
“All these figures fall short of the 30% minimum set out in the 1997 Southern African Development Community (SADC) Declaration on Gender and Development, Zimbabwe’s Constitutional provisions of gender equality found in Sections 17, 56 and 80, the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 5 which seeks to promote gender equality and empower all women and girls as well as the 50% benchmark set by the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development”
WCOZ highlights that women constitute 52% of the country’s vote, yet the recent outcome of this year’s harmonized elections reflects a low women representation in decision-making processes.
“Although we continue to note that women constitute 52% of the Zimbabwean population & 53.7% of the registered voters in Zimbabwe, the outcome of the 2023 harmonized elections continues to reflect women’s low representation in political decision making”
The Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) reports that the continent has the lowest representation of women in legislatures worldwide, with an average of only 25% women parliamentarians.
Zimbabwe’s current rate of 10.5% female representation in the national assembly falls below this already low average.
Notably, a perception report conducted by Public Policy and Research Institute of Zimbabwe (PPRIZ) Pre-Election Survey Report July 2023 unveiled a startling fact regarding voting for female candidates in the elections.
The study revealed that over 50% of the respondents indicated they would not vote for female candidates for President, Member of Parliament and Councillor.
This is despite having earlier indicated that it was time for females to play an important role in national politics.
Nozipho Rutsate, Chairperson of the WCOZ Gweru Chapter, conveyed her disappointment and acknowledged the uphill battle faced by women advocacy groups.
She stressed the need for concerted efforts to challenge and reshape societal perceptions, with the aim of increasing women’s visibility and participation in politics.
“It is disheartening, but as women’s groups, we have a big job on our hands on how to assist and perhaps rework as women’s advocacy groups to change such perceptions and increasing women’s visibility in politics,” said Rutsate
Although Zimbabwe in an attempt to address this gender disparity adopted a quota system in a bid to facilitate greater women representation, however, despite this effort, the numbers continue to dwindle.
Research suggests that relying solely on quotas is insufficient to address the issue of low female representation in politics.
Instead, there is a need for a systemic shift in attitudes towards women in politics.
A study conducted by Banda (2010) comparing the experiences of women in politics in Kenya and Zimbabwe opined that, there was need for a change in societal attitudes towards women in power, alongside the implementation of quotas. Similarly, another study by Joan and McEvoy (2012) discusses power-sharing agreements in Africa and argues that while they may incorporate gender quotas, true effectiveness will only be achieved when the underlying attitudes towards women’s political participation are transformed.
Also, The Zimbabwe Election Support Network (ZESN), (an independent electoral watchdog) explores ways to increase women’s representation in their 2020 position paper on Mechanisms to Increase Representation of Women in Elections and Governance in Zimbabwe.
According to ZESN’s analysis, political parties need to prioritize and actively support the inclusion of women at all levels, ensuring equal representation within their structures. Empowering women in politics requires a multifaceted approach, including sensitization campaigns, comprehensive policy changes, and targeted mentorship programs that instill confidence and encourage women to actively engage in political processes.
“While women’s organizations and gender-focused CSOs are playing a key role in facilitating these processes of capacity building and awareness-raising government and democracy strengthening institutions have social accountability mandates and should take on these responsibilities. There is need to enforce provisions of the legislative framework to support structures within political institutions for all women vying for political office, through mentorship. facilitation of access to resources and security issues, among others”, said ZESN.
The United Nations (UN) has consistently emphasized the importance of women’s participation in politics and decision-making processes.
According to the UN Women, women’s active involvement in politics strengthens democracy, promotes gender equality, and leads to more inclusive policies.
The crucial question remains what concrete steps will be taken to reshape the political landscape and unleash the untapped potential of Zimbabwean women in governance?