April - May 2007 Newsletter
Filling the Pipelines of Power
An old joke in the women's political community goes, "When they told us 1992 was the year of the women, we didn't realize it was going to be just a year."
| This isn't just an argument for a female president. It's an argument for shared authority at all levels, where men and women work side-by-side to create vibrant options |
The numbers of women in Politics has hovered around 22 percent for a decade, and overall gains in women's representation have been minimal. While the rest of the world has moved forward, Zimbabwe has slid back, thanks to the 2005 Senate elections, which raised the percentage of women in politics from 16% to 22.2%. We were so near to the then stipulated 30% women’s representation in politics and decision-making, we were so near and yet so far in terms of women's political representation.
As the women’s movement we are now poised to change these figures. The time has come for us to get the equal share of the steak at all levels. As power players slide into new positions in the coming elections, as women let us filter into the pipeline at all levels, be it, council, parliamentary and presidential elections. It is a winning combination for permanent change that the Zimbabwean women's political movement has not been able to master until now.
This isn't just an argument for a female president. It's an argument for shared authority at all levels, where men and women work side-by-side to create vibrant options. It's an argument for increasing the numbers of women at the top of government -enough so that they do not continue to be marginalized. As women of Zimbabwe we should declare now that "the time is now." It's not only time for diplomacy but also for changing the status quo. And now is the time for women to step up to the plate and run for office.
The time is now to capitalize on the strengths women bring to the table, their talents for community building, collaboration, and finding common ground.
In the Early years, the movement centered on the work of few organizations. But now, national organizations and local NGOs on both ends of the spectrum are hard at work to close the leadership gap.
This year, our organization and others are targeting to train, hold workshops and discuss with women to run for office. We want to have a record of a large number of amazing fearless women running for council, parliamentary and presidential elections in 2008. Future senators, parliamentarians, councilors and the presidium will emerge from this crop of leaders.
This year, let's take a moment to imagine Zimbabwe with a woman at the top. Then in that spirit, call a sister, best friend, or co-worker, and ask if she's ever thought of running for school board, Congress, or president. Encouragement drives courage. And her courage just might change history.
When the final story of this election is told, the revelation will be that after more than a decade of stagnation, women at the grass-roots level are running and winning. These women will create some of the most innovative social policies, from micro-enterprise and living wage campaigns to inclusive health care policy and accountability measures for keeping children safe. But instead of continually struggling to keep these policies in place as outsiders, now women will take their place alongside men in the seats of power, and make these changes permanent.
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