By Nyasha Kunyiswa
IT is time that women strived even harder to rise above all the myriad obstacles that are hindering their development.
So says Women Affairs minister Monica Mutsvangwa, who also told a large gathering at the launch of Women’s Month in Harare yesterday — that was hosted by national television station 3Ktv — that entrepreneurs needed to help mitigate the country’s worsening period poverty.
3Ktv is part of the fast-growing Jester Media Services (JMS) Group, whose other well-known brands include the iconic Daily News and the Daily News On Sunday, as well as The Financial Gazette — the country’s number one business publication.
“I call upon women entrepreneurs to venture into manufacturing of sanitary pads in order to ensure ease of access to sanitary pads by women from disadvantaged communities.
“Despite that women constitute over half of Zimbabwe’s population, women also continue to be vastly under-represented in key sectors of the economy, an imbalance which undermines the constitution as sections 17, 56 and 80 of Zimbabwe’s supreme law emphasise the rights of women in all spheres of life.
“Women’s economic empowerment is not just a matter of fairness, it is also essential for sustainable development and prosperity,” Mutsvangwa said.
She said when women were given equal opportunities to participate in the economy, it benefited not only them but also their families, communities and the entire nation. “Studies have shown that gender equality in the workplace can significantly boost economic growth.
“When women are given the chance to fully contribute their skills, talents and ideas, businesses thrive, innovation soars and productivity increases. “It is estimated that bridging the gender gap in labour force participation rates could add trillions to the global economy and this is … a real opportunity that we cannot afford to miss,” Mutsvangwa said further.
“We must break down the stereotypes and biases that limit women’s choices and opportunities, to ensure equal access to health services, quality education and skills training — thus enabling women to acquire the knowledge and tools needed to succeed in the workforce.
“We must promote inclusive workplaces that value diversity and provide equal pay for equal work, and also create supportive policies and programmes that enable women to balance work and family responsibilities,” she said further.
Mutsvangwa also expressed concern that many women worked in the informal sector, where they faced challenges such as lack of legal protection, limited access to markets and financial exclusion. On his part, JMS managing director for the broadcasting division, Zweli Sibanda, said the integrated media organisation was committed to continuing to support women in the pursuit of gender equality.
“In order to achieve Vision 2030 we need women’s development in the country. “Continuous empowerment of women is critical as it helps to promote gender equality. “When we talk of women empowerment in our country, we must not leave those in the small and medium enterprise sector as they are key to the development of the nation,” Sibanda said.
Yesterday’s event was graced by many of Zimbabwe’s movers and shakers, including from the corporate world and the public sector, as well as celebrated influencers.
