Opinion
Empower the woman in ways that count
Women need to be acknowledged and given “proper” empowerment tools to improve their standard of living.
“Give a woman…..and you have fed the world” and so the popular adage goes. While this may seem to be more appropriately placed the whole issue goes to the practical implementation of such on the part of women; socially, politically and even economically. The world seems to ‘celebrate’ the success of it’s recognition of women’s rights but on the practical side one will note that it is more on the theoretical rather than the practical side. Patriarchy still remains the order of the day and as such the need to keep it’s prowess intact and maintain the status quo becomes inevitable.
"The empowerment of women does not mean disempowerment of https://t.co/xMhpgguhbd are key to unlocking social change. We need to question conscious and unconcious gender bias".Refilwe Malulekwe MD of Yellowood #BrandMattersZW @MagnaCarta_Zim @BusinessTimesZW @Yellowwood
— I. AM. KAY (@kundaibuhera) April 4, 2019
Even the woman who has a breadwinner, a husband, is suffering. The situation coerces her supplement the budget at home, while fulfilling her other roles. The increased suffering in this economy results in the woman, at times, failing to access proper medical care, sanitary wear which is a must and worse child rearing. This coerces the woman to consolidate the paltry income at home through other means.
"Cross border women" kept the Zim economy afloat at some point. I have no stats but I know they did. They averted total shutdown here
— #BuhleAt46 (@buhle_matsha) September 10, 2017
‘Hustling’ the popular trend of survival has seen everyone running about in a bid to have the dollar in their pockets. Most of the so called businesses are not regarded as legal entities face a lot of challenges especially from the legal side. While the woman who is not gainfully employed has to hustle through vending and other ways…cases of being chased by local authorities are common. In such situations it is very painful whereby you witness a woman trying to evade omakokobas with a baby strapped to her back. This is a pathetic picture of desperate actions.
Transparency International Zim has raised alarms over the rising levels of sextortion. Women are asked for sexual favors in exchange for job security & attachments. In the informal sector women are victim to other male vendors, space barons & touts in exchange for vending space pic.twitter.com/I68wmya8Vr
— VeritasWomen (@veritaszimwomen) May 29, 2019
In all this, the applicability of laws that protect women become null and void. Yes, gender based violence is sang but is the number of abused women decreasing? Laws don’t seem to work in such scenarios whereby the vulnerable of the society suffer even more. Media sources are awash with the results or outcomes of the poor economy with moral standards deteriorating.
Finally, women need to be acknowledged and given “proper” empowerment tools to make their lives manageable.
By Ethel Thabani Ndhlovu
Women in enterprise can turn around the economy if equally empowered economically like their male counterparts in line with section 80 (1) of the Zim constitution. When will the sun come out for women?@ActionAidZim @PactWorld @UN_Women @womensvoicezw @USAID
— Act4WomenZW (@Act4Zw) July 30, 2020
