As we commemorated International Women’s day on the 8th of March, we took a moment to reflect on the journey of women’s rights advocacy and how far women have come in fighting for their rights. Here is the interview between Collen Nikisi (CN) and Nyasha Dube (ND) who is a women’s rights advocate and blogger.
CN: Maybe just to get the ball rolling, can you tell us a bit about Women’s Day, how it came to be and what it is really about?
ND: International Women’s Day is commemorated every year on the 8th of March, and it also happens to be in the Women’s History month . It’s a day set aside to celebrate and acknowledge the importance of women. If we trace back to history we will see that there are a lot of religious, cultural and structural barriers which stood in the way of women’s empowerment and there was a lot of biases and discrimination faced by women. Women then rose up to say we want to fight for our rights so 8 March is a way of celebrating each and every women’s excellence and progress they have made so far in economic, social and political spaces.
CN: You have clearly explained what this day is all about and we see that Zimbabwe has joined other nations in celebrating women, but is this day worth celebrating, is there anything tangible to celebrate for women in Zimbabwe.
ND: Yes, I believe there is a lot to celebrate. In light of this year’s theme “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow #BreakTheBias”, there has been a lot of progress tracing from where we came from. For example women previously had limited access to education, the boy child was prioritised at the expense of the girl child. Girls and women were subjected to a lot of abuses like early marriages, forced marriages, incest rape etc and even in leadership positions, women were not allowed to lead. In family setups the father had the final say in terms of land ownership, title deeds and finances. Currently women are now leaders, some are even presidents of nations, they occupy leadership positions in different institutions. Women can now access education, health care, employment which previously was not there. Yes there are still a lot of biases because of religious and cultural beliefs steming from patriarchy, but this day is worth celebrating.
CN: When we talk about those successes you just alluded to, is that shared across the divide. Are these successes enjoyed by women in different geographic locations like Mberengwa, Gokwe, Hwedza, Lundi etc or it only for the few educated women who have access to information
ND: The issue of intersectionality is really a stumbling block in terms of reaching the goal of gender equality. By intersectionality I mean that different women in different spaces experience different challenges and they face different barriers which need different solutions. Women are not one homogeneous group, they have different needs. There are women with disabilities, women in marginalized areas etc. There are a lot of women who are lagging behind in terms of accessing basic needs and achieving their full potential. For instance, in some religious sects women are still discriminated and they cannot access education or health care. Some are in rural areas where schools are distant, and for a girl child to walk that distance is a huge risk as she may be sexually abused. For some communities, having a female leader is still a taboo. So most women are facing a lot of barriers which are hindering them from achieving their full potential.
CN: For a long time women have been calling for gender equality and most people are saying this is a myth. Some quote the bible, some reference culture. From your perspective, if gender equality achievable and sustainable?
ND: It is true that gender equality is hard to achieve because remember Zimbabwe, and even Africa, is a patriarchal society and there are societal norms which have been practised by our fore fathers for time immemorial such that they are seen as normal, anything outside those norms is seen as a taboo. Cultural, structural and religious beliefs say the male is the leader and women must live under the authority of men. For us to now say men and women are equal, we may appear to be causing discord in communities. But look at it this way, the woman carries care giving responsibilities. When men go to the city or diaspora to search for greener pastures, it is the woman who makes sure that children are well taken care of, she even takes on the “male” roles like ox drawn farming, fetching firewood etc, so why are we viewing women as perpetual minors who must live under the authority of men. Even in the bible, God created make and female and commanded both of them to be fruitful and multiply. We also have successful women in the bible, we have books written by women. Why do we keep undermining women’s abilities. We just need to change societal attitudes and break the biases so that we acknowledge the contributions made by women, and empower them so they produce more.
CN: If the Constitution of Zimbabwe also promotes gender equality, why then do you think is the reason why communities are still revolting against this.
ND: The issue of socialisation comes to play, how different people are raised in different communities. It’s hard to change the perspective of an individual who grew up experiencing certain things. In most families, men are idolised, they make all decisions. If a child grows up in that setup they will continue to live those experiences and project them even in their own relationships. We need serious awareness and advocacy to change society’s perspectives.
CN: Is lack of political will a possible cause for communities to disregard what the Constitution says about gender equality
ND: Yes in Zimbabwe there’s serious political divide and it could be one of the reasons why most communities are failing to adopt the constitution’s provision on gender equality. Even in political participation, women still face a lot of barriers when they want to take up political posts. Women in power face physical, verbal and even sexual abuse so the reasons could be political. But at the end of the day gender equality is part of our SDGs, we have to determine the kind of environment we want in future, what kind of environment do we want for our children.
CN: Let’s talk about the issue of culture, particularly lobola. Doesn’t it perpetuate gender inequality when the man has to pay bride price for the woman?
ND: The problem actually starts when women are treated as commodities. Why do men feel entitled to control women just because they paid lobola for them. Lobola should be a way of bringing together two families not to be treated as a tool for controlling women. What I can say is that a woman is an independent individual before becoming someone’s wife. If possible, lobola would be scrapped off because in most families men are abusing their wives just because they paid lobola for them. Lobola is perpetuating domestic abuse. It’s actually sad that in some families the girl child is seen as a meal ticket, as a way out of poverty. Such mentalities subject women to discrimination and abuse.
CN: There seems to be little buy in from other women in terms of advocating for women’s rights, how far true is that and how do we then achieve gender equality when your fellow women are not agreeing with you?
ND: It goes back to who has the financial muscle. If the man is the only one who brings income into the home, it’s hard for a woman to say they want equality. She starts thinking about where her next meal will come from if she provokes the breadwinner. Women must be financially independent so that we have a voice when it’s time to make decisions. Some women are actually perpetrators of patriarchy because of the way they were socialised. So the issue of gender equality is complex and it’s hard for most women to give their buy in because they are financially dependent on men.
CN: As we wrap up, what can be done to bridge the gap that exists in achieving gender equality
ND: People need to understand the concept of women rights advocacy and feminism. It is not here to destroy communities or cause discord but it’s here for the good of the woman so she can have equal access to opportunities as the man. We are just saying women are capable, just give them enough resources so they can achieve their full potential. If men and women unite they achieve more, rather than letting one gender have the final say. There are a lot of issue which need female representation, even in leadership women need representation so that policies and laws speak to their specific needs. So let’s go back to the drawing board and help societies understand why we are advocating for women’s rights.