Labor-intensive roles that women take on a daily basis have made it difficult for female members to confront climate change; Women Affairs Minister Sithembiso Nyoni lamented as the world commemorates International Women’s Day (IWD).
The world commemorates the IWD annually on 8 March and this year’s theme is “Gender Equality for a sustainable tomorrow”.
Zimbabwe is celebrating the IWD under the theme “Gender Mainstreaming and Women Empowerment in Climate Change and Disaster Risk Management”.
Objectives of this year’s commemorations include; celebrating women’s achievements; raising the nation’s awareness on Gender-Based Violence and the need and importance of Gender Equality and women empowerment, and also sharing experiences and initiatives in addressing the challenges faced by women.
The Minister discussed the need to make gender considerations in climate change since men and women’s interaction with the environment and natural resources differ.
“Women are mainly responsible for the more time-consuming and labor-intensive tasks such as agriculture that are carried out manually or with the use of simple tools. They have limited access to and control of environmental goods and services; they have negligible participation in decision-making and are not involved in the distribution of environment management benefits. Consequently, women are less able to confront climate change. During extreme,” explained Nyoni.
“During extreme weather such as droughts, cyclones, and floods, women tend to work more to restore and secure household livelihoods. This will leave less time for women to access training and education, develop skills or participate in the economic mainstay, thus gender equality remains low.”
Nyoni also said that when droughts and extreme temperatures dry up sources of water, women in rural areas, have to travel long distances to collect water for cooking, cleaning, and managing gardens.
Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC), which agrees with Nyoni in challenges faced by women, says women are also effective actors or agents of change in relation to both mitigation and adaptation in as much as they are vulnerable to climate change effects.
“As the nation commemorates IWD, ZHRC reminds that so much as women are vulnerable to climate change effects they are also effective actors or agents of change in relation to both mitigation and adaptation,” the organization said towards the 2022 IWD.
“Women often have a strong body of knowledge and expertise that can be used in climate change mitigation, disaster reduction, and adaptation strategies. In addition, women’s responsibilities as stewards of natural resources in communities and in household resources positions them well to contribute to the livelihood strategies adapted to changing environmental realities.”
