THE Zimbabwe Gender Commission (ZGC) has flagged the widening gap between female political candidates and their male counterparts due to various challenges linked to parties in the country.
According to the 2023 Election Gender Observatory report by ZGC, candidate selection processes utilised by different political parties were not conducive for increasing women’s participation as they did not have measures in place for facilitating increased women participation.
The Gender Observatory serves as an institutional mechanism that monitors the fulfilment of gender equality goals throughout the electoral cycle, ensuring equitable participation for all demographic groups.
According to the report, findings revealed that despite having a robust legal framework supporting equal opportunities in politics, the path to achieving true gender equality in Zimbabwe’s political realm remains intricate.
The report further revealed that political party campaign messages are, however, gender neutral although the demanding nature of campaign periods is found to disadvantage women due to their multiple roles in society.
“Female candidates faced several difficulties during the campaigning stage which included resource challenges, sexist language from male opponents, lack of financial support from political parties for campaigning and security concerns due to threats and intimidation,” the report said.
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It said political parties acted as gatekeepers to women’s political participation and were important in determining who participated and who did not.
“During the 2023 harmonised elections, it was noted that most contesting candidates were fielded through political parties with a few contesting as independent candidates.
“In facilitating one’s participation in electoral processes, candidate selection processes employed by different political parties had a gendered impact,” the report said.
It also revealed that primary elections proved to be antagonistic in nature and not conducive for women candidates as the process requires one to engage in extensive campaigning.
“Women usually lack the resources required to undertake campaigns and, as a result, some women candidates may be susceptible to sexual exploitation as they look for resources to fund their campaign.
“The tensions that characterise primary elections usually leave a lot of aspiring female candidates with deferred dreams of being politician,” the report read.
It also flagged the open voting system and candidate selection by consensus saying they are a cause for concern, especially in a patriarchal society like Zimbabwe.
“This system requires an aspiring candidate to have strong support networks, which female candidates might struggle to obtain in a patriarchal society as they have limited access to political networks and resources, making it harder for them to compete against male candidates,” the report said.
Some of the key issues noted during the nomination court monitoring include exorbitant nomination fees of US$20 000 for presidential candidates, which disproportionately affected women. Another issue is lack of knowledge as aspiring candidates often lack understanding of the nomination process and requirements.
The 2023 elections saw a decline in women’s participation, with only 11% of nominated candidates at the National Assembly level and 15% at the local government level being women.