LUSAKA, March 9 (Xinhua) -- The theme for this year's International Women's Day clearly indicates that women are tired of the status quo of being marginalized and want to have a big say in the development agenda.
The theme for this year is "Women in leadership: Achieving an equal future in a COVID-19 World" and campaigners of women empowerment feel that the theme fits well in ensuring that women are given equal rights in various spheres of society.
Granted, women in Zambia as well as other African countries, have been on the peripheral as far as participation in national affairs is concerned. However, the rise in women's movements in recent years has seen a shift with women pushing for equal participation.
The old adage, "The woman's place is in the kitchen", is slowly losing its meaning as more and more women are now occupying positions of power and doing jobs that were previously considered "men's jobs".
"World over it is recognized that systems do not favor women. This has been the position even during the pre-COVID-19 era. Women have been victims of unwanted and unacceptable marginalization which deprives them of their human rights," Dora Siliya, the chief government spokesperson said.
According to her, women have remained at the bottom of the social strata, a situation that has denied them access to land, credit, health and education.
In order to allow women to escape poverty, development policies should place more emphasis on their contributions to the economy, she added.
Governments, she said, need to address the persistent pre-existing social and systemic barriers that deny women opportunities for a decent life and hinder their participation in leadership.
The Panos Institute Southern Africa (PSAf), a southern African communication and development organization, urged leaders and other stakeholders in the region to identify, highlight and address barriers preventing women from effectively participating in leadership.
Vusumuzi Sifile, the organization's executive director, said it is unfortunate that women have continued to be marginalized in leadership roles across all sectors despite statistics indicating that southern Africa's population is dominated by more women than men.
"Women representation in leadership in sectors such as politics, public administration, the private sector and non-profit organizations is still very low. In the few occasions that women make it into leadership positions, they face a lot of resistance from various systems and structures which are mostly rooted in prevailing patriarchal mindsets," he said.
According to him, despite the existence of various international, regional, and national commitments and instruments aimed at emancipating women, which many countries in the southern African region are party to, there is continued existence of harmful stereotypes that influence society to regard and treat women in ways that erode their dignity and confidence.
On the other hand, women have continued to face sexual harassment in their workplaces, homes and communities, a situation that hinders them from getting to the top and access opportunities that can help them realize their aspirations.
Non-Governmental Gender Organizations' Coordinating Council (NGOCC) Chairperson Mary Mulenga said the theme is timely especially as the country will be holding general elections this year.
She expressed concern over the political party in the country which was tilted in favor of men and hoped that political parties will adopt more women to participate in this year's elections.
Zambian President Edgar Lungu expressed concern over the social barriers that have continued to hinder women to participate in leadership and decision-making.
The Zambian leader said it is unfortunate that despite various government measures to promote women's participation in leadership and decision-making, women have continued to be sidelined.
He said there was a need to uphold women's rights and leverage the potential of women leadership in efforts to achieve set development agenda. Enditem