Speaking truth with power:
Making truth powerful;
Making power truthful
Making truth powerful;
Making power truthful
The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day is gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow. It calls for climate action for women by women.
Let’s begin by acknowledging this truth: In 2022, women make up 49.6% of the world’s population - their contribution and participation in all aspects of the social, economic and political must not be undervalued. For the simple reason that they are half of the world and because it is also the right and sensible thing to do.
On this day, people all over the world, are encouraged to dress in purple, green and white. Purple denotes justice and dignity; green symbolizes hope while white represents purity. Since 1908 when 15,000 women marched through New York demanding shorter working hours, better pay and the right to vote and in 1911 when IWD was first celebrated, significant strides have been made towards achieving gender equality.
Progressive laws and policies towards ensuring equal opportunities for women and girls have been implemented in most countries and as a result, more girls are now going to school, more women are contributing to their economies as part of the workforce or in business. This contribution includes unpaid care work borne by women which most often is not factored into economic policy making conversations across the globe. In other spheres of life, like in politics, women involvement and participation is increasing.
In 2021, 8 countries swore in their first woman Head of State or Government. Barbados, Estonia and Moldova have women holding the roles of President and Prime Minister. In January 2021, Kamala Harris took office as the first woman Vice President of the United States, Estonia elected her first woman Prime Minister and in Africa, Samia Suluhu Hassan became Tanzania’s first woman President in March 2021. In June 2021, Uganda’s government saw Robinah Nabbanja nominated as Prime Minister. In Rwanda, 61% of its parliament members are women making Rwanda the global leader in terms of women’s representation in decision-making positions.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan of the United Republic of Tanzania | Source: DW
In Kenya, great strides have also been realized. The 2010 Constitution ushered in a new beginning for women in Article 81, popularly known as the gender rule which aims to reduce gender imbalances in leadership by ensuring that no more than two-thirds of the members in any appointive or elective positions are of the same gender. The rule is however, yet to be fully realized and adhered to. Some subordinate legislation like the Employment Act, 2007 recognizes the right to fair pay for both men and women and requires every employer to ensure that men and women workers are paid equally for work of equal value.
Despite progress made towards realizing gender equality, there is still a lot that needs to be done. Discrimination towards women in politics, professional careers, academia, social spaces and in relationships still exists. Women leadership is still a hurdle, voices are still being ignored, spaces for women to advance professionally remain constricted while GBV still remains an issue globally.
The Covid-19 pandemic and Climate change crisis have dealt a blow to some of the progress already made towards enhancing gender equity. The past two years saw more reports of gender-based violence, backtracking the realization of women’s sexual reproductive health rights and a significant reduction in the contribution and earnings of women from the economy in many places across the world.
Climate change continues to limit opportunities for women and increases their vulnerability to shocks. For instance, women are highly dependent on climate-sensitive work like agriculture. Yet, climate change increasingly degrades the natural resources necessary for women to make a living from such work as farming, livestock production.
This is further complicated by the fact that in terms of climate change adaptation, women are bound to be less resilient due to income inequalities, inequitable resource distribution and unbalanced power dynamics that limit women’s options in terms of adapting to and surviving the effects of climate change. For example, such inequities in resource distribution prevent women from investing in climate change resilient agriculture – drought resistant crops or irrigation.
The overall implication of this is that many women, especially in rural human settlements, engage in unsustainable livelihoods practices like deforestation which significantly degrade ecosystems and air quality and cause health risks that leave their communities even more vulnerable.
Gender Equality | Source: PAHO
There is need for concerted efforts by stakeholders – in government, private sector, civil society, academia among others, to promote progressive laws and policies that deal with the inherent limitations to realization of women’s rights. This must come with more space and empowerment of women to meaningfully participate in the making and implementation of such policies. Also, resources are at the center of realizing women’s rights. As such, a lot still needs to be done to address inequalities in resource distribution, especially ownership of land and other natural resources that women require to produce and thrive.
Beyond the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change, there remain deeply rooted cultural practices, beliefs and norms that limit full realization of women’s rights. Some of these practices like Female Genital Mutilation, Early Child marriages, preference of boys over girls among others make it difficult for women to thrive. Some of these practices, which are a result of socialization especially in African contexts, now need open conversations across genders to begin to change. In many African setups, children are nurtured to embrace some cultures like gender defined roles which remain imprinted in their subconscious minds and greatly affect how they perceive the current ever changing world where some of those traditions may no longer be applicable. There is need for conversations among and across genders & among and between age groups. that go beyond just policies and laws.
International Women’s Day provides us a chance to reflect on these elements of culture and climate change and how we can all work together to address them to better circumstances for women and the entire global population.
Ends …
The theme of this year’s International Women’s Day is gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow. It calls for climate action for women by women.
Let’s begin by acknowledging this truth: In 2022, women make up 49.6% of the world’s population - their contribution and participation in all aspects of the social, economic and political must not be undervalued. For the simple reason that they are half of the world and because it is also the right and sensible thing to do.
On this day, people all over the world, are encouraged to dress in purple, green and white. Purple denotes justice and dignity; green symbolizes hope while white represents purity. Since 1908 when 15,000 women marched through New York demanding shorter working hours, better pay and the right to vote and in 1911 when IWD was first celebrated, significant strides have been made towards achieving gender equality.
Progressive laws and policies towards ensuring equal opportunities for women and girls have been implemented in most countries and as a result, more girls are now going to school, more women are contributing to their economies as part of the workforce or in business. This contribution includes unpaid care work borne by women which most often is not factored into economic policy making conversations across the globe. In other spheres of life, like in politics, women involvement and participation is increasing.
In 2021, 8 countries swore in their first woman Head of State or Government. Barbados, Estonia and Moldova have women holding the roles of President and Prime Minister. In January 2021, Kamala Harris took office as the first woman Vice President of the United States, Estonia elected her first woman Prime Minister and in Africa, Samia Suluhu Hassan became Tanzania’s first woman President in March 2021. In June 2021, Uganda’s government saw Robinah Nabbanja nominated as Prime Minister. In Rwanda, 61% of its parliament members are women making Rwanda the global leader in terms of women’s representation in decision-making positions.
President Samia Suluhu Hassan of the United Republic of Tanzania | Source: DW
In Kenya, great strides have also been realized. The 2010 Constitution ushered in a new beginning for women in Article 81, popularly known as the gender rule which aims to reduce gender imbalances in leadership by ensuring that no more than two-thirds of the members in any appointive or elective positions are of the same gender. The rule is however, yet to be fully realized and adhered to. Some subordinate legislation like the Employment Act, 2007 recognizes the right to fair pay for both men and women and requires every employer to ensure that men and women workers are paid equally for work of equal value.
Despite progress made towards realizing gender equality, there is still a lot that needs to be done. Discrimination towards women in politics, professional careers, academia, social spaces and in relationships still exists. Women leadership is still a hurdle, voices are still being ignored, spaces for women to advance professionally remain constricted while GBV still remains an issue globally.
The Covid-19 pandemic and Climate change crisis have dealt a blow to some of the progress already made towards enhancing gender equity. The past two years saw more reports of gender-based violence, backtracking the realization of women’s sexual reproductive health rights and a significant reduction in the contribution and earnings of women from the economy in many places across the world.
Climate change continues to limit opportunities for women and increases their vulnerability to shocks. For instance, women are highly dependent on climate-sensitive work like agriculture. Yet, climate change increasingly degrades the natural resources necessary for women to make a living from such work as farming, livestock production.
This is further complicated by the fact that in terms of climate change adaptation, women are bound to be less resilient due to income inequalities, inequitable resource distribution and unbalanced power dynamics that limit women’s options in terms of adapting to and surviving the effects of climate change. For example, such inequities in resource distribution prevent women from investing in climate change resilient agriculture – drought resistant crops or irrigation.
The overall implication of this is that many women, especially in rural human settlements, engage in unsustainable livelihoods practices like deforestation which significantly degrade ecosystems and air quality and cause health risks that leave their communities even more vulnerable.
Gender Equality | Source: PAHO
There is need for concerted efforts by stakeholders – in government, private sector, civil society, academia among others, to promote progressive laws and policies that deal with the inherent limitations to realization of women’s rights. This must come with more space and empowerment of women to meaningfully participate in the making and implementation of such policies. Also, resources are at the center of realizing women’s rights. As such, a lot still needs to be done to address inequalities in resource distribution, especially ownership of land and other natural resources that women require to produce and thrive.
Beyond the Covid-19 pandemic and climate change, there remain deeply rooted cultural practices, beliefs and norms that limit full realization of women’s rights. Some of these practices like Female Genital Mutilation, Early Child marriages, preference of boys over girls among others make it difficult for women to thrive. Some of these practices, which are a result of socialization especially in African contexts, now need open conversations across genders to begin to change. In many African setups, children are nurtured to embrace some cultures like gender defined roles which remain imprinted in their subconscious minds and greatly affect how they perceive the current ever changing world where some of those traditions may no longer be applicable. There is need for conversations among and across genders & among and between age groups. that go beyond just policies and laws.
International Women’s Day provides us a chance to reflect on these elements of culture and climate change and how we can all work together to address them to better circumstances for women and the entire global population.
Ends …
