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Zambia still lagging behind in female representation
07 April 2008
The Times of Zambia (Ndola)
Just what should be done in Zambia to enhance the participation of women in the social, political and economical spheres of the country?
This has been a running question among the advocates of gender equality who have over the years been campaigning for the increase in the number of women holding influential positions in the country.
Despite having ratified the SADC protocol on gender, which among other things calls for member states to attain 30 per cent women representation in Government, critics say Zambia's progress in implementing gender equality has been rather slow.
"As women, we need to work together in solidarity if we are to attain the 30 per cent representation at decision-making level," said Women for Change executive director, Emily Sikazwe, a renowned gender activist.
Until now, Zambian women have generally been accused of not being supportive of one another, which could be a possible explanation why there are few women in key positions. Society often perceives women as 'being their own worst enemies.'
In the September 2006 general elections, several women ended up standing against each other for parliamentary seats instead of being pitted against the men. In the end, few were elected and immediately, the activists started calling on the president to square up the numbers by nominating only women backbenchers.
"Look at what happened during the last elections, women were being pitted against each other just as a way of lessening women participation. Do we need that? No! As women lobby groups we would expect women to refuse when that happens we also need to educate our constituencies on the independent candidature status and learn to defeat arrogance of numbers as women," added Ms Sikazwe.
According to Ms Sikazwe, there was need to fight the norm that women would not make good leaders saying leadership was a right and not a favour. Women therefore, needed to stand in solidarity even in such issues as the national constitution.
But Zambia is not the only country in the region struggling to meet the required number of women in leadership.
The June 2006 edition of the SADC Gender Monitor reported that, "the average representation of women in parliaments of the region now stands at 20 per cent, with (only) Mozambique and South Africa having reached 30 per cent or above".
There is still considerable unevenness between countries with women representation in Parliament ranging from 5.6 per cent in Mauritius to 36 per cent in Mozambique, while Zambia currently stands at about 12.5 per cent. At the moment, South Africa is leading the way in women participation in cabinet, with 42 per cent women ministers and with a woman deputy president.
On Zambia's political front, President Levy Mwanawasa, as SADC chairperson recently said his Government had registered some success promoting gender equality because the number of women parliamentarians had increased from 6.3 per cent in 1991 to 12.6 per cent in the current Parliament; and out of 21 Cabinet ministers, five are women.
In the mainstream civil service, female representation at permanent secretary level is reportedly 25 per cent, directors 23 per cent, deputy directors, 18 per cent, diplomatic staff, 22 per cent and assistant directors, 25 per cent.
Former Nalolo MP, Inonge Wina, bemoans the rate at which women are fighting for the decision-making posts saying, "We need to join forces, if our friends in other countries are doing it, why can't we? We need to be serious about becoming MPs or just being in decision-making positions."
Gender activist Tafira Lubinda called for more co-operation among the women if the goal of more women representation was to be achieved. "We need to work together to create one voice and share ideas. Politics is not a dirty game, if it is dirty then it needs someone to cleanse that, and I believe a woman can. We just need to be assertive, focused and principled," he commented.
At global level, most European countries especially the Scandinavian states like Norway and Sweden have led the crusade to promote women participation in governance; and most of them are now used as models for gender equality.
A number of personalities have also been deemed as global icons in the fight for gender equality. They include Winnie Madikizela Mandela who played a crucial role in the fight against apartheid, former British Prime Minister, the Baroness Margaret Thatcher, former Philippine president Corazon Aquino and Hillary Clinton as the first New York senator and now in the race for presidency.
Perhaps as is said that experience is the best teacher, Baroness Thatcher of Kesteven, was once quoted in the People Publication of September 1969 as saying, "In politics if you want anything said, ask a man. If you want anything done, ask a woman."
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