External publications

Integrating women’s normative roles into peacebuilding in Zimbabwe

Jaji, Rose
External Publications (2018)

in: APN Briefing Note 18 (Social Science Research Council/African Peacebuilding Network)

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This policy brief addresses the under-representation of women in Zimbabwe’s public service institutions and in the security sector, despite the government’s expressed commitment to UN Resolution 1325 on women, peace, and security. While women account for 25 percent of public servants, there is no woman in the highest ranks of the security sector, particularly in the Zimbabwe Defense Forces (ZDF). Also, women’s representation in the national parliament is 35 percent, while their representation in the country’s urban and rural councils is below 20 percent.1 Women’s under-representation is reflected in their limited influence on peacebuilding in Zimbabwe. Women who engage in peacebuilding in the public sphere face sexual harassment, arrest by the authorities, and censure. The marginalization of women in the public sphere is mirrored in the private sphere. Yet this is a space where attitudes are shaped and value for peace can be instilled in children and young people. The combination of gender discrimination in the public sphere and the exclusion of the private sphere from peacebuilding policies constrains women’s participation at local, national, and international levels (Björkdahl 2012; Tiessen 2015).