zimbabwe: Women Mourn their Lack of Political Clout

As crucial municipal polls got underway in Zimbabwe on August 30 and 31, gender activists could only marvel at how little inroads women have made in politics. Of the outgoing 333 urban councillors in the country, a mere 14 percent were women. The highest number was in Harare which had six female councillors out of a total of 50. Women constitute 54 percent of the population in Zimbabwe. From a pool of over 500 candidates who contested the elections, 67 or about 10 percent were women. Even fewer won the elections.