Cuts international Zambia says the Country’s debt is undermining the ability of government to meet its commitments on gender equality and promotion of women and girls` rights.
Presenting her paper entitled Debt and its Effect on Women and Children during a media workshop, Cuts International Programmes Officer, Jane Zulu says this is because the costs of servicing the debt are disproportionately born by women and girls while the funds borrowed are rarely spent in ways that prioritize women and girls` rights.
In her presentations Ms Zulu stated that inordinately high pressure to service debt places pressure to increase revenues often through indirect tax such as VAT, which is regressive and carries a disproportionate impact on women.
“The reduced expenditures in social sectors impact on women and girls who are the majority users of these services due to the existing inequalities that determine gender roles and responsibilities, while devaluing their contribution, ” she said.
On the impact of the debt on the informal economy and COVID-19, Ms Zulu observed that the informal sector accounts for 68% of employment in the country adding that with the high cost of doing business, most businesses have experienced disruptions due to the depreciated kwacha, this coupled with the on-going pandemic has increased the burden.
“These dynamics affect women disproportionately. The informal sector accounts for 76 per cent of total employment for women. In this context, the COVID-19 crisis has had a dual impact on women in the country,” she said.
Ms Zulu on the one hand, said job losses in the informal sector are set to see an increase in female unemployment.
“On the other hand, caregiver burdens largely fall on women in Zambia. As a result of the unequal gender distribution of informal care in the household, women are likely to see their work and life opportunities further constrained in the aftermath of the pandemic,” she presented.
WHAT YOU HAVE SAID IS TRUE.
Don’t be f00lish. Its only under pf that we have seen the largest proportion of women in high government posts. Go do your research you will find that actually the girl child is doing much better than boy. This is a trend even in most other countries. Boys also matter, you self entitled crazy woman
Don’t be f00Iish. Its only under pf that we have seen the largest proportion of women in high government posts. Go do your research you will find that actually the girl child is doing much better than boy. This is a trend even in most other countries. Boys also matter, you self entitled crazy woman
Bufi naimwe Ba Ms Zulu.
You can’t understand some people.No data.
What research.show us the sample size
“the costs of servicing the debt are disproportionately born by women and girls while the funds borrowed are rarely spent in ways that prioritize women and girls` rights”. Question is do women and girls pay more tax by virtue of them being more in number? If so, then it would be the same as saying Toyota Corollas in Zambia pay more tax than other vehicles! No, we just drive Toyota Corollas.
Explain better the costs acruing to women and girls as a result of debt servicing. The article has not clearly articulated the issue not even citing a example for one to relate with.
@ KZ you need apologize to Jane Zulu, your cousin. At first I thought she was my ex, your wife. That Jane is beautiful.
Kaizar is coming from a very poor background, poor family and poor everything. Mentally retarded by the poverty that he went through from childhood. When poverty backgrounded people bumps into money, they run mud. Kusabaila and lack of respect.