Zambia has urged women, particularly in developing nations to actively engage in the political governance and bridge the global gender, social and economic gap if sustainable economic progression among nations is to be achieved.
Zambia’s Minister of Gender Elizabeth Phiri has told the United Nations that educated women in Zambia, as in many other countries are shunning politics because its male-dominated landscape has often been hostile and unpleasant to the female gender.
Mrs. Phiri has however said the Government of Zambia has continued to create an enabling environment for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls through a range of innovative policies meant to close the gender social, economic and political disparities.
Speaking when she opened the 63rd United Nations Commission on the Status of Women side event, Mrs. Phiri noted that the competition in elective political positions of leadership in many countries is often too aggressive for the full participation of educated women, hence creating gender inequalities.
The theme for the 63rd CSW is: “Promoting Rights-based Social Protection Policies for Gender Equality, a prerequisite for Social Justice and Sustainable Development.”
The side event was organized by Friedrich Ebert Stiftung in conjunction with Zambia, Women in Informal Employment Globalising Organising, Africa Platform for Social Protection and Africa Labour Network.
“In Zambia, like many other countries, particularly in developing nations, for women to get to high elective political positions, they have to defeat men and it is not an easy undertaking. Educated women are shunning politics because the male-dominated political sphere has remained aggressive. But women have to actively engage in the political governance of countries if the social and economic gender gap has to be closed for sustainable development,” Mrs. Phiri said.
She stated that Zambia remains committed to enhance gender mainstreaming through the development of policies and programmes that would be able to reduce poverty and vulnerability among women and girls.
Mrs. Phiri explained that with the National Social Protection Policy, Zambia has seen the enactment of the National Health Insurance and the approval of an integrated framework which aim at ensuring overall coherence and maximization of development impacts of investment in social protection.
She said that Zambia’s implementation of the Social Cash Transfer Scheme has so far improved nutrition levels among vulnerable rural households who can now access to adequate food.
Mrs. Phiri stated that the Government of Zambia is implementing the Food Security Programme, which is aimed at enhancing food security at household level through crop divarication, conservation farming as well as the promotion of alternative livelihoods among communities.
“The role of the Social Protection System is not only reducing poverty but also for achieving human development outcomes such as nutrition, health and education and tackling social inequality. Social protection programmes have the ability to tackle social constraints such as lack of income or income-generating capacity,” She added.
The 63rd Commission on the Status of Women was also attended by Zambia’s Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Gender, Dr. Auxillia Ponga, Zambia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Lazarous Kapambwe, Ms Helen Mudora, a civil rights activist from Kenya and Dr Laura Alfers of Women in Informal Employment Globalising and Organising in South Africa.
This is contained in a statement issued by First Secretary for Press at Zambia’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations Wallen Simwaka.
Zambia needs a strong leader who can come and put politics in its place. When I look around in both ruling and opposition parties, There is no chance. It is failure, and no morality. Look at the present government, failure every where but they have the audacity to want to be on the ballot paper again. How, and I repeat how
PF hijacked Zambian politics through thugs. Even their symbol is a kofi (Fist)
Any woman who wants to enter Zambian politics should develop a thick skin to handle insults worse than those hurled at Nkana Stadium.
We need Jik to cleanse Zambian politics otherwise we’ll leave our future in the hands of thugs, thieves, tribalists & vision-Less PF00Ls. Just look how they’ve put us in $-Billions of debt with nothing to show for.
MMD had some good smart women like Nawakwi, Namugala
ok, I stop, don’t want to insult someone’s wife.
some PF women gather their 25 domestic workers to go and brush their wigs before taking pictures in front of old Fire Trucks.
The same politician went to Saudi Ariabia and promised them gots, maybe she even got money. Because now they can’t fulfill the goats, they say they have cadres they can ship to work as domestic workers.
Women.
“Zambia’s Minister of Gender Elizabeth Phiri has told the United Nations that educated women in Zambia, as in many other countries are shunning politics because its male-dominated landscape has often been hostile and unpleasant to the female gender.” You are free to dominate the male den as women as long as you are strong down there with big hanging “mallepe” to withstand bruising like Jezebel and the rest of women in the political scene.
This comment @ Oya Mpu is vulgar. Its hard to find its purpose here.
Don’t force well educated and respected corporate women into politics. Some are better off where they are. Politics is not for everybody.
PF is full of alcoholic, thieving and vulgar women. This is irrelevant of so – called education. How is Margaret Dudu or Nkandu Luo an icon for educated women? No wonder normal educated women do not want to participate in politics as imposed by PF on Zambia.
Elective offices are competitive and there will be no way the males will stand aside and watch woman compete whenever there is a vacancy in an elective office.Our women must be bold enough to stand up against men as is the case in the US and other European countries.At one time,this problem was there as well but females stood their ground.We are coming from a background of sexism where a man is superior to a woman and this has been challenged. Ever wondered why the Bible only uses the ‘he’ pronoun instead of he/she?
women will naturally join when the conditions are right. The abuse females in politics, business and society in general tolerate is legendary in zambia lol ask Dora y women don’t join.
Well said Minister, we have evil men in Zambia who dont want women to succeeded in politics. but i know one women who uses her beauty to gain political power no name mentioning.
When she says educated women shun politics and herself is a woman in active politics, is she confirming that she is not educated?
Sure the political landscape is full of these undesirable macho impotent quarrelsomeness men. We can’t progress with that nature.
Fragrant educated women are best fainting every few minutes…….NOT!
The ladies need to get in there and CHANGE the landscape. Get your hard hats on girls and charge in. It’s no way in this day and age to tell young women to be frail. Change your perspective
So that is the speech to deliver at the UN? For what purpose?
It has nothing to do with fragility. Educated women use their education for a purpose. Boot-licking those in power for positions is not one of them.
Zambia doesn’t need a strong leader but good laws that will work for everyone, strong leaders usually become dictators who only want to please themselves.
Politicians are and not made if you are a politician you were born a talker , politicians are born a people who can convince people to follow their way of doing things, and are not frustrated with any decenting ideas .
Education is important however to go through all the pain of being insulted by everyone in the communities can be degrading for the made politicians to born politicians it is their food .
Is Elizabeth Phiri ashamed of her short and curly hair, which is natural to her, that she should start wearing that fake, for her, long hair? There are many women in Zambia politics who exhibit the same inferiority complex. Shame.