Where are all the women? Gender in the 2011 Zambia Local Government Election

Gender in the 2011 Zambia Local Government Election

Women in Zambia comprise less than 10% of elected local government officials. This result is not a good sign for democracy or, diversity in democracy. Women won only 6.1% of the local government election in 2011, a 1.2% decrease from the previous election in 2006. This is a concern for the country’s ability to achieve certain key objectives such as the SADC Gender and Development Protocol target of equal representation in all decision-making positions by 2015.

The 2011 result raises concerns about the quality and fairness of local service delivery. If only 85 women out of 1382 people are contributing to the day-to-day decisions made by local authorities, it is clear that the demands and priorities of women will not be well represented. Women in Zambia must urgently be enabled to participate in local governance structures and access the resources therein, through a quota system instituted through a legally binding document.

Read the report below:

Download : Zambia 2011 Local government election report