Review to THE ATTITUDE OF SOCIETY TOWARDS WOMEN IN KEY POSITION IN SOCIETY from Mulunda Nchimunya.

 

With “The Attitude of Society towards the participation of women in key positions in Society”, Mulunda Nchimunya, from Mulungushi University, presents the struggle the Zambia  poses to women.

Not only Zambia government and regulations used to consider women as inferiors, but also and even their writers, movies, songs,  and society in general.  This process have occurred until the birth of feminism. 

Mulunda Nchimunya quotes different authors, such as Chinua Achebe, Fraisse and Perrot, Domingo et al, Akerkar, etc.

As many feminist state,  Nchimunya affirms that the whole country of Zambia would benefit from more female leadership.  This kind of leadership should grow, but, on the contrary,  situations of power remain very traditionally in the hands of white, middle-aged men, even though demographic developments take a different direction.

The author of this article summarises two forms of fostering participation in women:

a)       On one hand, recognizing societal and religious norms that  hinder women from airing their voice in public spaces. Therefore, policy makers should strive at providing women friendly spaces to ensure their concerns are adequately heard.

b)      On the other hand,  giving more attention to social welfare and legal protections. By this means, they will improve trust, yield the economy and add equal value alongside their male counterparts.

 Nchimuya also states that cultual biases against women and stereotypes have to be broken. Women have to improve their own awareness and prejudice.  That would be, in Nchimuya´s opinion, the final  step in the promotion of equal opportunities to achieve leadership status.

 Nchimuya´s article  is a strong and grounded statement in favor of women´s  rights and looks as a profound study of needs and solutions for Zambia´s gender problems.