National Initiative for Civic Education (NICE) Public Trust has warned that laws, budgets, and policies could produce discriminatory outcomes if Malawi does not address gender disparities in key positions.
NICE District Civic Education Officer (DCEO) for Dowa, Alinafe Chikakuda, wondered why there is still low representation of women in leadership and decision-making positions despite making up over 50 percent of the population.
Chikakuda made the sentiments during her presentation at the launch of the ‘nclusive participation of women/young women in Malawi politics’ (Nthawi Yawo Project).
The project, which United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is financing to the tune of US$100, 000, is aimed at mobilizing more women and young women to contest in the 2025 general elections.
NICE and Centre for Civil Society Strengthening (CCSS) are implementing this project in the districts of Karonga, Salima and Neno.
Currently, women represent only 21 percent of members of Parliament in Malawi, with Neno, Salima and Karonga districts showing zero percent of women representation in parliament.
NICE feels this is a recipe for disaster.
“Without equality in representation, the voices and perspective of women cannot be fully reflected in the work of the parliament, arguing that laws that are passed that are biased against women and the focus of any government scrutiny is less likely to focus on issues important to women,” said Chikakuda.
She added, “The presence of both male and female parliamentarians is vital in a democratic and inclusive polity. Women political participation promotes gender equality by challenging the social and political existing structures that perpetuate a culture of women’s subordination in both the private and public sphere.”
She said it was disappointing that the progression of women representation in the political arena over the past two decades of the country’s multiparty democracy has been far too slow, considering the 50-50 target campaign that Malawi has waged over the past years.
In his presentation titled ‘Mindset Change as a Catalyst for Women Participation in Elections and Politics in Malawi’, NICE Programmes Officer Chris Naphiyo highlighted culture/tradition, economic factors and political structures as some of the factors slowing women representation in positions of leadership and decision-making.
Naphiyo said it is high time Malawi broke barriers that have held women at one stage.
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