As Cabinet Ministers were sworn in yesterday, women across the country welcomed the appointment of female Ministers, a move which they said would empower women as decision makers.
There were sentiments that more women could have been in Cabinet.
A total of six women were appointed as Cabinet ministers out of 26, whilst six others were appointed as deputy Ministers and five women as Ministers of State for the Provinces, where they are matched by five men and in that area there is parity.
The Ministers include Defence Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri; Women's Affairs, Community and Small to Medium Enterprise Development Minister Monica Mutsvangwa; Industry and Commerce Minister Sithembiso Nyoni; Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Kirsty Coventry; Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Barbra Rwodzi and ICT, Postal and Courier Services Minister Tatenda Mavetera.
Zimbabwe Gender Commission chief executive Mrs Virginia Muwanigwa said appointments to Cabinet presented an opportunity to walk the talk on gender equality and women empowerment
"Zimbabwe should use existing and emerging opportunities to affirm gender equality and non-discrimination. Ensuring equal representation will thus amplify the impact of the national investment in women as a resource towards meeting the national vision," she said.
Women and Law in Southern Africa (WLSA) board member Advocate Choice Daniso said while the fact that women made up only 23 percent of the Cabinet was not encouraging; all was not lost.
"We take encouragement from the fact that we do have women in the Cabinet and some of them are very experienced and their experience will benefit all women.
"From a gender perspective, we would like to see a situation where there are more women in decision making positions, and the Cabinet is the most powerful of those positions. The more women we have in those offices, the greater the likelihood that women's issues will be addressed," said.
She said the appointment of women in Cabinet also had a symbolic value in breaking psychological barriers that were preventing women from taking up decision making roles in different aspects of society.
There have been persistent calls for women to participate in all sectors so that they could be included in leadership roles but women's participation remains low.
Since almost all Cabinet ministers and other Government appointments have to be members of the National Assembly and Senate, with the President being able to bring in just a handful from outside, The gender equality needs to start with a lot more participation in the nominating process.
Zimbabwe's Constitution in Section 56 provides a strong framework for the protection and promotion of the rights of women and men, girls and boys in Zimbabwe. It recognises the equality of all persons and goes further to explicitly outlaw discrimination on the grounds of sex or gender.
Advocate Daniso said there was still more work that needed to be done before the 50-50 gender parity was realised.
She said it would not only take women in Cabinet to ensure that women's issues were articulated, but also the male Ministers had a role to play.
"We believe that men can be champions of women's issues. We do not want to come across as if we are saying it is only women who can articulate women's issues. Men who have been properly inducted can be powerful allies because they are uniquely placed to speak with other men on women's issues using terms and language men are used to and can easily understand.
"In our patriarchal society, men are still considered leaders. Members of the public find it easier to accept the influence of men over women, so we believe that we can use that perspective which the public holds to the advantage of women by using that agency of men to advocate for women's issues," she said.
She added that there were women's issues in all 24 portfolios of the Cabinet and urged Ministers to reach out to the gender specialists placed within each ministry to find out the key issues that need to be addressed.
"Gender issues can fall through the cracks unless public officers take a deliberate effort to reach out and address those issues. If Ministers do not make a deliberate effort to be gender sensitive in how they formulate policies and how they consult with the public then there is a real danger that women, children, people with disabilities, and the poorest of the poor will be left behind contrary to the Sustainable Development Goals," said Adv Daniso.
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Zimbabwe Women Against Corruption Trust director Ms Sandra Matendere also lamented the low number of women in Cabinet and other leadership positions.
"We want to see more women in leadership and decision making positions. This needs us to go back to the drawing board at political party level where there is need to improve women's participation in politics. We want to see women in all leadership positions right up to the Presidium," she said.
She, however, commended the appointment of young Ministers to the Cabinet who will serve as a beacon for other young women in society.
"Minister Mavetera will serve as a role model for other young women who aspire to take up political office. With more women in cabinet we are likely to see less corruption, better service delivery and we hope to see them addressing the concerns of all women," she said.
