In the play ‘Vagina Monologues’ by international feminist, Eve Ensler, “let the vagina speak for itself” is a metaphor used to get the necessary attention when addressing issues of sexual abuse and violence against women.
According to Ensler, the purpose of the piece changed from a celebration of vaginas and femininity to a movement to stop violence against women. A former United States of America First Lady and Women’s rights activist once said, “You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You must do the thing which you think you cannot do.” Much of the toil that sustains life like growing food, cooking, raising children, caring for the elderly and the overall maintenance of many households is done by women in many parts of the world. These efforts are however disregarded and are hardly awarded the respect and remuneration they deserve.
In many societies around the world, there was a time when women never belonged wholly to themselves; they were the property of others (either parents, spouses or sons) throughout their lives. However, over the centuries, women across the world fought in the pursuit of gender equality. Today, women can boast privileges of being able to have an education, a career and the right to vote because of these battles which were not always availed to women due to the patriarchal society that people were brought up in.
Botswana has come a long way with regards to fighting gender based discrimination. In 1998 the Penal Code was amended to have a “gender neutral” meaning of the word rape which previously only made reference to women. In 2005 the Marital Powers Act was abolished thus rendering both husband and wife equals whereas before this the wife was treated as a minor and could not make decisions independently of her husband. In the work place the Mines and Quarries Act was also amended to allow women to work underground.
Although the International Business Report by Grant Thornton has ranked Botswana as number two in the world regarding female staff in senior management roles, there are other avenues that Batswana women are still not performing as well as their male counterparts. While women are awarded the same opportunities the residual effects of being previously disadvantaged have somehow affected the overall progression of women in many sectors in Botswana. The President of the Botswana Congress Party (BCP) Women’s League, Tebogo Dingake, attributes this setback to the fundamental principles taken into consideration when raising the girl child in our society. “There is a need for affirmative action to facilitate a conducive environment for women to excel in political office,” said Dingake.
However Vice Chairperson of the Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), Tshepo Warreus stated that, “No one is prohibited to do anything in Botswana, as long as it is within the parameters set by the law basing on colour, age or gender.” Warreus blames the lapse in women empowerment in Botswana on socialisation citing that, “In the past women were given the power to stay home and build a family but it was the men that were equipped with the exposure of going out into the wilderness to fend for their family.”
On a broader perspective Botswana Movement for Democracy (BMD) spokesperson, Merapelo Letebele brought into light the Western intellectual tradition,┬áglobalization and the overall effects of neo-colonialism. Letebele stated that, “Our culture has been eroded and though the Western culture is not wholly bad issues of morality are often saddled with religious connotations neglecting the humanity aspect.”
Pre colonial education in Botswana ÔÇô Bogwera (for the boy child) and Bojale (for the girl child) ÔÇô according to Letebele was “gender specific.” With regards to politics Letebele further indicated that, “Though there are policies in place for women empowerment, the current government has failed the implementation stage and as long as the status quo prevails, women will never be at par with their male counterparts.”
The past few decades have witnessed a steadily increasing awareness of the need to empower women, through measures to increase social, economic and political equity, and broader access to fundamental human rights. Various platforms have been developed to award women to deliberate on issues pertaining to their progression and that of the future generations of the girl child. In commemoration of the International Women’s Day, an ad-hoc committee at the University of Botswana, the Gender Policy Programme Committee (GPPC) in collaboration with The African Women Leadership Academy, held a panel discussion to show how women through guidance and mentorship were able to help a lot of young women to help themselves. One of the mentors, Maude Dikobe, said that mentorship enabled the mentors to “unleash the potential,” in those being mentored. Dr Dikobe further stated that Botswana’s patriarchal society which even has proverbs like, “Ga nke di etelelwa ke manamagadi pele” which literally translates to ‘A woman can never lead’ has played a role in the inability most women to challenge male authority. However, the mentorship program boasts a cluster of women who are competitive in their respective industries, including Dikobe who revealed that she too had been mentored by Dr Leloba through the same program.
“Our society should not act like women have gained true equality. They are still under-represented in senior positions, government, big business and other areas. There is still a lot to be done to ensure that they access education, wealth, health etc like men,” says spokesperson of the Botswana National Front (BNF), Moeti Mohwasa. In a statement issued by the BNF to commemorate International Women’s day, Mohwasa further stated that, “The┬áBotswana National Front has over the years pushed for policies that bestow human rights on women. Women are now able to get full pay while on maternity leave in Botswana because of the motions we tabled in parliament. We do admit that quotas have their limitations, but they can assist to affirm women if used together with other means. It is for this reason that we are the first party to introduce 30 percent quota in terms of party positions for women.┬áTo us Women’s rights are a human rights issue and we take them seriously.”
In 1995 Botswana sent a delegation to Beijing China where “the platform for action,” which included a commitment to achieve gender equality and empowerment of women was tabled. Then there was the 1997 Southern African Community Development (SADC), Protocol on Gender and development, which according to Dingake, “Has not been signed by Botswana for flimsy reasons.” The SADC protocol on gender and development calls for a 30 percent quota of women in parliament. Warreus from the BDP says they were lobbying government to sign the document and appealed to women across the political divide to shed their colors and join them in lobbying for this move.
Despite Botswana’s obvious shortcomings regarding women empowerment, activists have worked hard to fight for the rights of women. Now women can vote, have a voice, hold positions of power and with the advent of birth control, voluntary motherhood is the order of the day.
