The Sunday Mail
Women & Leadership
Maggie Mzumara
Let me take this opportunity during the ongoing 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (November 25 to December 10) to point out that violence obstructs women’s access to leadership roles and their ability to participate and influence, in particular, political processes.
When they face or are subjected to violence, women will shy away from venturing into leadership roles. This will result in very few women standing up to be counted in leadership or governance positions.
Experts and specialised agencies have noted that such under-representation of women in political leadership impacts on the ability of governments to respond to or prevent violence. This then presents a double jeopardy or a snowballing effect on the part of women.
A briefing by World Health Organisation (WHO) notes that the relationship between gender and violence is complex.
The roles and behaviours of females and males, children as well as adults, are shaped and reinforced by gender norms within society. These are social expectations that define appropriate behaviour for women and men. For example, in some societies: being male is associated with taking risks, being tough and aggressive as well as having multiple sexual partners.
Differences in gender roles and behaviours often create inequalities, whereby one gender becomes empowered to the disadvantage of the other. Thus, in many societies, women are viewed as subordinate to men and have a lower social status, allowing men control over, and greater decision-making power than, women. Gender inequalities have a large and wide-ranging impact on society. For example, they can contribute inequities in: health and access to health care; opportunities for employment and promotion; levels of income, political participation; as well as representation and education.
Often inequalities in gender increase the risk of acts of violence by men against women. For instance, traditional beliefs that men have a right to control women make women and girls vulnerable to physical, emotional and sexual violence by men. They hinder the ability of those affected to remove themselves from abusive situations or seek support .
Promoting gender equality is a critical part of violence prevention. The relationship between gender and violence is complex. Evidence suggests, however, that gender inequalities increase the risk of violence by men against women and inhibit the ability of those affected to seek protection. There are many forms of violence against women. This article focuses on violence by intimate partners, the most common form. Though further research is needed, evidence shows that school, community and media interventions can promote gender equality and prevent violence against women by challenging stereotypes that give men power over women.
School initiatives are well placed to prevent violence against women. School-based programmes can address gender norms and attitudes before they become deeply ingrained in children and youth. Such initiatives address gender norms, dating violence and sexual abuse among teenagers and young adults.
Community interventions can address gender norms and attitudes through, for example, the combination of microfinance schemes for women and methods that empower men as partners against gender-based violence. Community programmes with male peer groups, in countries and instances where this is done, show promise in changing attitudes towards traditional gender norms and violent behaviour, but they require more rigorous evaluations. Well-trained facilitators and community ownership appear to boost the effectiveness of these interventions.
Media interventions can alter gender norms and promote women’s rights. Public awareness campaigns and other interventions delivered via television, radio, newspapers and other mass media can be effective for altering attitudes towards gender norms. The most successful are those that seek to understand their target audience and engage with its members to develop content. We do not yet know, however, whether they actually reduce violence.
Programmes must engage males and females. There is some evidence that schemes that empowering women (without engaging with men) may actually cause friction and conflict between partners, especially in societies with rigid gender roles. Further research is needed to explore how such possible negative effects might be overcome.
(This article has been informed almost wholly by a briefing from the World Health Organisation.)
Maggie Mzumara is a leadership, communication and media strategist as well as corporate trainer, who offers group trainings as well as one-on-one coaching in various areas of expertise. She advocates women leadership and is founder of Success in Stilettos (SiS) Seminar Series, a leadership development platform for women. Contact her on [email protected] or follow on Twitter @magsmzumara
