ShoutYourVision: Women's Meaningful Participation In Decision Making Processes

The Covid-19 pandemic has not been easy on anyone and human nature has made many stress over the future or lose hope. The pandemic has affected everyone at individual, community, national, regional and global level. It has also brought many changes and many have now adjusted and called upon a “new normal”. With the “new normal” slowly taking effect, I have my own vision for a post Covid-19 era.

On Friday 16 April I was a panelist on the Women’s Coalition of Zimbabwe – Young Women’s Forum - Red Couch session sponsored by HIVOS. This was to be the beginning of a very interesting journey where I had another platform to speak to the world regarding many issues affecting women and girls on Facebook live.

Despite section 17 of the Zimbabwean Constitution noting that the State must promote full gender balance in Zimbabwean society, we still lack meaningful participation of women in decision making platforms like political offices, constitutional bodies, the judiciary, the private sector and local bodies. A lot of reasons have been attributed, but not limited to, age restrictions, gender norms and cultural practices, economic barriers which cause young women to lack the financial resources needed to fully participate, time demands of some offices which sometimes conflict with the demands of their families, lack of support at home and in the work place and even gender stereotypes.

 In our first session on the Red Couch, my co-panelists and I discussed about young women's meaningful participation in decision making processes and what can be done to capacitate them to take up these spaces and make use of any available opportunities availed to them. It is a wonderful thing that we have some women at various decision making levels but the percentage is still too low. We have legislation which has elevated women for example, women could not inherit their father’s or husband’s land but now inheritance laws permit this. Though once traditionally impossible, we now have women chiefs. We now have women leading ministries and in positions of authority like Presidents, Ministers, Country directors and coordinators, Chief Executive Officers, Judges, Speakers of Parliament, Commissioner Generals, Commissioners, Bishops and Apostles. Women are establishing companies and becoming successful entrepreneurs. Most state owned institutions in Zimbabwe have women board members and we have many other non-state institutions which are women led.  I acknowledge that there is now recognition around the world that women can be leaders which is a step towards women’s inclusion into positions of influence and authority but we still have a long way to go to achieve 50/50 representation at national, regional and global level.

Girls and women have a right to vote in elections, be in government office, become board members and amplify their voices in processes that will affect them, their families and communities. Governments are mandated to create policies and strategies for women’s visible involvement in decision making at family, community and national level. Investing in girl’s and women’s right to decision making processes is a necessary step to achieving global gender equality and democratic governance. This will also strengthen the acceleration of sustainable development goals.

In my vision I see a world which understands that inclusive leadership will bring transformation to any country and everyone works at advancing gender equality and removing all forms of gender based discrimination. In my vision I see a post Covid-19 where equal women representation in decision making bodies will have helped us start building back better from what Covid-19 has taken away from us. This change is possible and it begins with you and me. Let us challenge ourselves and run for that position we have always wanted but have been too afraid to dare.