Happy Women’s Month

By Dr. Vimba Nyemba

Women are celebrated in the month of March worldwide, not because the world just wants to celebrate a gender but because of the roles women play in the world.  To all the women out there, I want to say you are all beautiful and awesome, me included.  Fearfully and wonderfully made.

As women we play different roles in our everyday lives.  We have too many responsibilities and we balance them anywhere.  Women face many challenges in life; their major challenge being the patriarchal society where women are seen as second class citizens. 

Women were not recognised as full humans and were regarded as minors.  Although a lot of work has been done to change this aspect, we are still far from changing the way we think of ourselves as women before we even talk about the way men perceive us.

Women hold self-limiting beliefs that arise from the patriarchal system and by so doing they short-change themselves.  Women have a heavy burden of multiple roles which they play at home, in their corporate spaces and in society.  Unpaid work performed at home has earned women the title, “home makers” rather than “producers of wealth”.  The so many roles of women have contributed to the fairer gender playing second fiddle in the world of business.

“The biggest lie women have been made to believe is that they are not good enough and should therefore not aspire to become entrepreneurs.  As women we can only prove ourselves if we gain the confidence that we need and demonstrate mastery, self-belief, resilience, stamina, courage, faith, self-determination and passion which are all important ingredients to becoming a successful entrepreneur.” – Dr. Eve Gadzikwa, in the foreword of a book I authored; WOMEN ENTREPRENEURSHIP THROUGH PROCUREMENT  by Vimbai Nyemba.

Women are the largest untapped reservoir of talent in the world.  Women are dynamic, very honest, peaceful, dedicated and brilliant.  Despite all the challenges, women register successes in all they do and as such they do not seek lesser opportunities from men.

Because of the many roles women play including child bearing, women are prone to a lot of illnesses than men.  Mental health issues affect more women than men.  Women suffer from post-natal mental health issues especially in economic hardships.  Women also die whilst giving birth.

Child marriages are still high and we have had many incidences of girls below the age of sixteen (16) giving birth with some dying whilst giving birth.

We appreciate the efforts of Government in putting in place legislation against child marriages but a lot of sensitization and education has to be done so that everyone is aware of the law and appreciates the reason for the existence of the law.  The Ministry of Health should ensure that all areas of health delivery especially on the health of women and girls should be of paramount importance.  As a woman I appreciate the efforts in place but more can be done.

During women’s month Ministries that deal with Women and girls’ issues should be proactive and be seen to celebrate the collective successes in advancing human rights, equal rights, and opportunities for women worldwide, while recognising the existence of the challenges.

It must be noted that women are not seeking lesser opportunities for men but equality.

To all human kind out there, let us celebrate the creativity, achievements and leadership of women.