Munashe Emmanuel
By Munashe Emmanuel
The number of women in leadership positions and their participation in public life is alarmingly low. Despite making up the majority of the population, women face significant barriers to leadership and public engagement due to social factors, including sex role stereotyping and gender bias.
The traditional expectation that women are caregivers at home adds to their burden, leaving them with limited time to pursue leadership roles. Furthermore, women often have heavy workloads both at home and in their professional lives, limiting their access to education, employment, healthcare land and productive resources in many societies.
Marital status, residence, religion and age also hinder women’s participation in leadership and public life. In some religious groups such as the Seventh Day Adventist, apostolic sectors, and the Salvation Army, women are excluded from leadership positions or require male permission to participate. Additionally, women are often viewed as inferior, less intelligent and less powerful than men resulting in capacity gaps and limited opportunities.
To address these challenges, the government must allocate resources to support women in leadership and public life, recognize women’s rights and implement gender-sensitive policies to promote their participation.
#Action4Equality #TimeToAct #GenderEquality