Women and decision-making in the rural development process: the case of women and district councils in Zimbabwe
Chimedza, R.
AAWORD Occasional Paper, Association of African Women for Research and Development, Senegal 2: 125-129
1985
Document Number: 574630
The paper was presented at a seminar on 'Women and rural development in Africa', held in Algiers, Algeria, from 4-8 September 1982. The district councils of independent Zimbabwe are the planning and decision making authorities for their respective regions. The paper stresses that, although women constitute 75% of the total rural population, they are hardly represented on district councils, although development projects make great use of their labour. This non-representation is explained by women's own socialization which locks them up in roles of submission and is the outcome both of the colonial policy which excluded women from positions of power, and of pre-colonial cultural traditions. The men also have a big responsibility in this situation, since it is they who choose the candidates for the councils. It is recommended that women be integrated into the decision taking ranks in the councils in order to improve their productivity and thus to accelerate the pace of development. It would therefore be helpful if planners had a better knowledge of their needs.