Marking International Women's Day
As we mark International Women’s season this week, my thoughts are on how women are portrayed in the public sphere.
First and foremost, what exactly does Women’s Day mean to us, how and why do we mark it in Zambia? Is it because everyone else in the world commemorates the Day, so we too want to fit in? And whose standards or yardsticks do we prescribe, to determine issues which affect, or how we promote women in our country? Year after year, we praise and honour those who have done well in business, politics, informal trade, media, etc. Women march on the streets in beautiful attire; politicians give speeches full of boring rhetoric; we hold events and other gala dinners, to showcase achievement - give out prizes, drink and dance the night off, only to wait for next years’ Women’s Day!
I often ask myself to what, or to whom, we benchmark this achievement? By counting how many women are in senior positions or own businesses? Well and good. But are we prescribing western baselines and benchmarks, to determine the level of women in our country? Is this a good or bad thing? Of course, we cannot ignore the strides made by Zambian women over the years, these must be showcased and celebrated. Is there research or data which shows whether any of the activities held during women’s week on or on the Day itself, have brought about a positive change? In my opinion, why don’t we try to do something different? Like being realistic and down-to earth for a change!
How about revisiting how we socialize our boys and girls about gender roles and status? Ours is a country where any successful woman is considered to have slept her way to the top. Some have done this no doubt, but the same brush is used on all. Societal prejudices about women who do well, have been generational in Zambia and we need strict approaches to tackling them. Media has been a major culprit in perpetuating these stereotypes - especially social media. Some online platforms and blogs are run by malicious people, who hide behind journalism to discredit successful women, malign them and reinforce the negative image of women. I have often read headlines with photographs of women attached, reading: “Married woman caught cheating red-handed”! Why only the woman? Who was she caught cheating with? Herself? What about the man she was with? Is he not part of the problem? Why is he not in the picture? And such a story will be followed by a slew of hate speech and negative comments about women who cheat, etc. This is one among numerous examples. Surprise to say, the same platforms publish stories on women who have done well, just to fit in the theme of Women’s Day. We need to check ourselves.
News gatekeepers are another challenge in media’s portrayal of women. Key newsrooms or editorial decisions are made by men. They were socialised to look at the role of a woman in the benign. Some have personal vendetta, and in most cases, out of no fault of theirs, simply grew up believing power and all things solid and good, come from men, not women. I have conducted numerous media training courses where this issue has been discussed at length and seen how sensitisation and training can bring about a positive change. Our media needs training.
Ours is a society in which a woman is shut down from the public voice because of her personal status. We hear foolish remarks from both men and women, saying one should not comment or contribute to an issue, because she has a failed marriage, or she is not married, or she grabbed someone’s husband, or she cannot have children. What have all these got to do with it? Have men not had failed marriages, do they not womanize, or are infertile, or can’t find a wife, yet still hold a higher social status? Takes me back to the values under which we are raised and socialised. Zambia in this case, is pathetic!
Capitalizing on aspects of our modern and age-old traditions to instill and create awareness about the power of the African woman, is another way to go. We can incorporate churches, women’s groups, media and community leaders in planning and implementing gender-centered policies, as well as ensuring an effective call-to-action on critical issues that affect women and girls, so that we see actual results.
I am aware that successive administrations in Zambia have adopted a few good policies on women’s equality and equity, but how well are these policies filtering to the lowest of women? My suggestion will be a bottom-up approach, such as has been done in Rwanda and a few other African countries, where women hold key leadership roles and whose policies are cited as a model for gender inclusiveness, yet it is those at the grassroots that feed into important development strategies. Ordinary women like school teachers, marketeers, the house wife, nurses, are not only listened to and heard, but positive action is taken. These are the voices that matter.
It is good to have these special days - Women’s Day, World Press Freedom Day, Valentine’s Day, Father’s Day, and so on. They are an annual reminder of where we are, and what we aspire to achieve. But if all the efforts are a mere celebration, year in year out, then we are just a bunch of a noisy gong or clanging cymbal.