Editorial

Manja Kamwi, Editor

”A woman should keep water in her mouth when her husband tells her off!”

This saying was one among many, which participants at the MS-Zambia Annual Meeting presented as examples of sayings that define the relationships between men and women.

We all smiled and laughed at these sayings and moved on to discuss gender where we could all agree that participation of both sexes is wanted and needed in order to obtain sustainable development.

Unfortunately the above saying probably gives a more accurate picture of the situation in Zambia 2004 than we, as MS-Zambia, partner organisations and politicians, with our good intentions would like to admit.

The fact is that in all walks of life women are under represented in positions of power – and it takes more than a workshop or two to change that situation.

Because who in their right minds would voluntarily give away power? And that is what we are talking about! The minute the woman spits the water out of her mouth and enters into a discussion with the man, he alone no longer holds the power of speech. He would be forced to listen and interact with the woman. The man would no longer hold the privilege of being the sole decision maker. This not only applies to households but also represents what is happening in the society as a whole.

As one participant puts it (in this newsletter): ”My experience is that when women are trained they start talking and participating. However some men are jealous – they don’t want to share their power with women.”

One argument raised at the Annual Meeting was that in Denmark, where gender is more – though not fully – implemented, is that there are too many divorces. Well, if a husband is beating his wife, drinking the money away or mistreating the family, shouldn’t the woman divorce him?

Apparently not necessarily. A recent study showed that many Zambian women would expect to be beaten by their husband if food was not ready in time.

Many will argue that they treat their woman with respect and they would never lay a hand on them. But that does not change the fact that we live in a society where it is accepted that women can expect either to be beaten up – or at the very least keep the water in her mouth.

There is need to think and act radically if we are to reach a situation where both sexes have equal rights and opportunities and women are treated with respect on a par with that afforded a man. It is not easy, as almost 50 % of the population, largely coinciding with those in positions of power would stand to loose privileges.

However, at large stands only to gain by ensuring that all humans have equal opportunities and fully participate in development.

As reflected in this newsletter everybody agrees that full participation of all stakeholders leads to better development. “It is only when men and women put their ideas together that they can develop,” says one participant. A 50 % increase in the participation of development can only be of benefit to everybody.

Therefore men should start to share their powers AND women should start taking power.

Fortunately culture and tradition are dynamic, and affected by all forms of social exchange, otherwise there would be no development at all. Questioning and challenging the status quo of personal and professional relations will aid in the development of a more socio-political understanding, and help us to develop structural, societal, and preventive interventions.

So – besides the concrete action plans that all partner organisations will implement this year – let us take gender a step further and share powers and above all treat each other with mutual respect.