The ManicaPost
ACCORDING to the World Bank, women make up about 49,58 percent of the world population.
Countless research papers have gone on to outline how this population is constricted when it comes to contributing towards the prosperity of the world.
Unfortunately, if women who account for half of the world’s working age population do not achieve their full potential, the global economy suffers.
This is why every year on March 8th the world comes together to commemorate International Women’s Day.
This is a global day to celebrate the social, economic, cultural and political achievements of women; recognise their challenges, and focus greater attention on their rights.
No country, group, or organisation can lay claim on being solely responsible for International Women’s Day since the story of women’s struggles for equality belongs to no one.
Rather, the day belongs to all those who care about human rights.
The campaign theme for this year is #BreakTheBias.
It seeks to make the world realise that whether the bias towards men in any fora is deliberate or unconscious, it makes it difficult for women to flourish.
Urgent action is required to level the playing field.
Zimbabwe has made significant strides in promoting and protecting women’s rights.
The Constitution of Zimbabwe was amended in 2013 to provide for a variety of economic and social changes, including providing for women’s empowerment.
Apart from our gender sensitive Constitution, efforts include the establishment of a robust national gender mechanism that is being championed by the Ministry of Women Affairs, Gender and Community Development and the Zimbabwe Gender Commission.
Women’s access to bank credit has been growing following the establishment of the Zimbabwe Women’s Microfinance Bank and the Empower Bank.
In addition to these two banks that were established to empower marginalised groups, almost all the banks in Zimbabwe have established Women’s Desks to better serve female clients and provide tailored products and services to meet their specific needs.
Zimbabwe is also a signatory to several regional and international conventions and other instruments that seek to empower women and girls.
These include the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW); the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Gender and Development Protocol and the Beijing Platform for Action.
The particular focus on women stems from a recognition that, worldwide, women have been historically disadvantaged in terms of education, social exclusion and access to assets, land and other economic resources.
But despite the progress that has been made locally in improving women’s plight, more still needs to be done because violence against women and girls remains prevalent while the rate of child marriages remains high.
At the policy and regulatory level, it is important that policymakers, including Government and employers, recognise that various policy frameworks are still largely gender insensitive.
Targeted interventions, such as flexible credit facilities, education and literacy support mechanisms, trainings and quota systems for women, among other things, could help break down the social, cultural and stereotype barriers standing in the way of women’s empowerment.
There is also need to close the gender gap in traditional cultural practices that place women at a comparative disadvantage.
All this needs to be done as soon as yesterday because without gender equality today, a sustainable future and an equal future remains beyond our reach.
