An Assessment of Gender Mainstreaming in Decision-making Positions in the Public Sector in Zambia

Abstract

There is a clear justification for promotion and encouragement of gender mainstreaming (GM) in Zambia.GM ensures men, women, boys and girls benefit equally from the development process by highlighting the impacts of policies, programmes and laws on the real situation of men, women, boys and girls. In other words men, women, boys and girls all deserve equal treatment in all spheres of life be it political, economic or social. This dissertation is an assessment of GM in decision-making positions of influence in the public sector-: the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the Ministry of Labour, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of Gender and Child Development (MGCD), the Human Rights Commission (HRC). The other two institutions included are the Patriotic Front (PF) Secretariat and the Non-Governmental Organization Coordinating Council (NGOCC) taken as key informants. The main objectives of this research were to examine factors that affect women’s participation in decision-making, to assess strategies that the Zambian Government has put in place to enhance gender mainstreaming in decision making positions and to identify the challenges that the Zambian Government faces in mainstreaming gender. The study sought to examine how far the government of Zambia has gone to mainstream gender in positions of influence in the public sector. The researcher used questionnaires and interviews to collect data from the respondents using both qualitative and quantitative methods. Some data were presented in tables while others through thematic explanation. The research revealed that Zambia has deliberate move to gender mainstreaming in all sectors of society. The research revealed also that the country has both international and local legislations in promoting gender mainstreaming. The researcher discovered that almost all participants indicated that there are more men in positions of influence than women in the public sector. Some of the reasons that the respondents gave as to why women lag behind in positions of influence were the negative traditional and practices, stereotypes and myths that down grade women and the women themselves lacking self-support for each other especially in the political realm. However, the findings revealed that it is not every institution in the public sector that is dominated by men in positions of influence. Some are dominated by males in the case of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and the Ministry of Labour and Social Security (MLSS) while others are dominated by females in the case of the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Gender. In some institutions understudy, the disparity was too high in terms of who was occupying what position by gender. This therefore calls for the ensuring that the public sector attains GM in positions of influence by 2030 going by the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development. The SADC Protocol on Gender and Development advocates for 50/50 or equal participation between men and women in key decision-making positions not only in government but also in the private sector at all levels. This will in the long run create a more equitable and just society for all.