Partly
this
is
due
to
the
proliferation
of
roles
and
the
establishment
of
dedicated
‘women’s
sections,
as
well
as
the
problems
of
recruitment,
as
men
may
be
absent,
but
it
also
represents
a
shift
in
roles
and
the
greater
acceptance
of
women
in
leadership
roles,
even
if
men
take
the
most
important
positions.
Taking
up
such
roles
comes
with
some
benefits,
but
these
are
limited,
perhaps
to
access
to
seeds
and
fertilisers.
However,
being
seen
to
be
in
leading
positions
gives
credibility
and
ultimately
may
be
important
for
political
leverage
if
there
are
problems.
ZANU-PF
is
attentive
to
grassroots
structures
to
support
the
party’s
programmes
and
recognises
the
power
of
women
during
elections,
who
can
mobilise
on
behalf
of
the
party
in
exchange
for
only
limited
patronage.
Leadership
roles,
though,
take
time,
so
those
with
young
children,
for
example,
said
they
no
longer
signed
up.
Others
with
other
routes
to
influence,
such
as
being
a
war
veteran,
sometimes
retire
from
such
roles,
as
MM
from
Mvurwi
explained,
“there
was
too
much
travel,
too
many
meetings.”
Others
with
commitments
at
home
or
husbands
who
do
not
like
their
wives
travelling
do
not
join.
As
SF
from
Masvingo
noted:
I
don’t
have
any
leadership
positions;
it’s
not
something
I’m
interested
in,
partly
because
of
my
chicken
project.
Leadership
positions
require
a
lot
of
travelling,
as
such,
it
will
mean
neglecting
my
chickens,
and
I
cannot
do
that.
On
top
of
that,
my
husband
has
issues
with
my
travelling;
he
assumes
people
are
asking
me
out
whenever
he
sees
me
talking
to
a
man.
He
always
complains
instead
of
going
out
to
buy
me
a
gift.
Nevertheless,
as
Mrs
M
from
Masvingo
district
observed,
there
are
certainly
many
more
women
in
leadership
positions
today:
These
days,
women
hold
more
leadership
positions
than
in
the
past.
You
can
see
that
most
houses
have
women,
and
you
saw
it
when
you
came
here,
it’s
all
women…
Mai
M
is
the
vice
chairperson,
and
TM
also
has
a
leadership
role.
Men
have
no
problem
with
independent
women
or
those
in
leadership
positions;
it’s
not
the
same
as
it
was
in
the
past.
In
addition,
some
women
were
leading
in
the
land
invasions,
so
it’s
nothing
new
to
see
women
leading.
Mai
N
from
Gutu
commented
on
the
spread
of
leadership
roles
occupied
by
women,
even
in
‘traditional’
leadership
roles,
in
the
past
strictly
the
preserve
of
men,
“The
role
of
women
in
our
community
has
changed
over
the
past
years,
now
women
have
positions,
the
village
chairperson
is
a
woman
and
I
am
the
vice
chairperson,
men
and
women
share
leadership
positions
equally.”
Mai
M
from
Masvingo
district
commented,
“There
is
a
change
in
leadership,
women
are
taking
leadership
roles
in
school
committees
and
even
in
communities,
we
even
have
women
village
l
heads.”
Mrs
C,
also
from
the
Masvingo
district,
observed,
“Few
women
were
in
leadership
positions
in
the
past,
even
in
government,
but
now
things
have
changed.
Women
are
now
police
officers
and
teachers.
They
hold
leadership
positions
in
different
places.
I
also
lead
the
church,
as
I
have
already
said;
they
respect
me
in
church.
Men
have
no
say
in
my
leadership
position
because
I
am
their
leader,
and
I
even
tell
them
when
they
do
something
wrong.”
Mrs
M,
a
widow
from
Masvingo
district,
observed,
“I
have
a
leadership
post
at
church;
I
go
to
a
Pentecost
church.
I
am
also
a
member
of
the
Central
Committee
of
ZANU-PF.
These
days,
there
are
a
lot
of
women
in
leadership
positions
in
the
community.”
Political
mobilisation
by
and
for
women
is
a
common
feature
of
contemporary
political
discourse,
and
ZANU-PF
is
very
effective
at
this,
with
numerous
initiatives
often
spearheaded
by
senior
female
political
figures.
FN
from
Mvurwi
commented:
When
I
went
to
Glendale
for
a
party
meeting,
I
noticed
that
women
now
have
power
and
are
doing
their
own
things.
There
was
a
woman
who
had
hundreds
of
hectares
of
wheat,
that’s
where
we
had
our
meeting
under
the
theme
‘Agric
For
She’.
If
we
are
given
loans
and
capital,
we
can
achieve
whatever
we
want;
the
challenge
is
access
to
capital.
‘Agric
For
She’
is
a
women-led
initiative
that
is
connected
to
the
First
Lady,
and
she
is
coming
here
soon.
Sometimes,
such
roles
allow
lobbying
on
behalf
of
women
who
often
lose
out
in
the
party-state’s
patronage
distribution.
FG
from
Mvurwi
explained
her
role,
“My
role
as
a
member
of
the
gender
committee
in
ZANU-PF
is
to
stand
up
for
the
needs
of
women
and
to
ensure
that
they
are
fairly
given
their
share
in
cases
of
inputs
or
aid
available.
I
have
been
in
this
post
for
six
years.
I
got
this
position
through
the
ZANU-PF
voting
process.”
Young
women
in
particular
also
are
active
participants
in
the
ruling
party
(ZANU-PF)
activities
in
exchange
for
access
to
different
resources.
JS
from
Mvurwi
explained
that,
“In
2008,
we
were
told
to
go
to
the
base
as
youths
and
we
went
there.
We
campaigned
for
the
party
during
that
period,
voted
and
won,
then
went
back
to
our
homes.
Then
we
were
told
that
the
young
people
who
had
gone
to
the
base
for
campaigns
should
be
given
a
piece
of
land.”
Mrs
C
from
Mvurwi
commented
that
women
now
can
challenge
men
directly
for
posts
and
not
just
rely
on
allocations
just
for
women,
“Women
do
have
positions
now
in
our
community,
but
in
most
instances,
men
want
to
be
in
charge,
but
women
now
challenge
them
for
posts.As
Mrs
M
from
Mvurwi
observed,
many
are
in
positions
that
they
do
not
know
much
about,
but
participating
and
being
seen
to
do
so
is
important:
These
days,
many
women
hold
leadership
positions,
something
we
did
not
have
in
the
past.
I
have
a
position
as
a
chairman
at
the
village
level,
but
I
am
not
even
sure
what
the
position
is
called!
To
be
honest,
I
did
not
pay
attention
to
it.
We
were
called
for
a
meeting
and
told
we
are
starting
a
village
cell…
There
are
people
in
the
village
in
leadership
positions,
like
S,
F,
and
her
mother;
many
women
hold
positions.
SZ
argued
that
the
education
system
has
encouraged
women
to
take
on
such
roles.
They
are
more
confident
and
able
to
compete
with
men.
“Women
are
taking
up
positions,
even
a
girl
child
is
studying
up
to
the
highest
level
of
education,
even
in
the
party,
they’re
taking
up
positions,
and
in
schools,
female
teachers
are
many.”
This
was
the
experience
of
Mai
M
from
Gutu,
who
has
several
leadership
roles,
“I
have
a
position
in
church
as
a
deaconess;
I
am
a
committee
member
in
ZANU-PF
at
the
cell
level.
When
you’re
a
female
leader,
you
can
face
resistance
from
men,
but
in
the
end,
they’re
forced
to
listen
to
you
because
you
will
be
doing
your
job.”
As
Mai
MC
from
Gutu
district
explained,
the
benefits
that
arise
from
women’s
engagement
in
leadership
positions
can
also
benefit
men,
as
patronage
spoils
are
shared,
or,
indeed,
sometimes
captured.
“We
do
have
women
also
in
leadership
positions,
we
also
attend
party
meetings,
and
we
get
opportunities
or
benefits
that
empower
us.
Men
are
supportive
of
women’s
empowerment
because
it
automatically
means
they
also
benefit
from
their
wives’
benefits.”
NG
from
Gutu
district
argued
that
it
was
mostly
older
married
women
and
widows
in
the
leadership
positions,
with
men
no
longer
the
dominant
force:
Women
do
have
leadership
positions
in
the
community;
it’s
the
men
who
are
no
longer
getting
positions
because
women
are
harder
working.
Most
women
in
leadership
positions
are
married,
and
some
are
widows.
Men
have
no
issue
with
women
in
leadership
positions,
even
in
church;
they
encourage
it
by
having
women’s
saving
clubs
and
by
showcasing
the
things
they
buy
in
church.
Gogo
C
from
Masvingo
district,
comparing
the
past
with
now,
puts
the
rise
of
women
in
leadership
roles
down
to
better
education:
Yes,
I
think
women
now
have
more
leadership
positions.
I
had
a
position
under
Mugabe,
and
I
used
to
travel
to
Harare
and
other
places.
I
think
now
women
are
taking
up
more
leadership
positions.
In
the
past,
women
were
less
educated;
now
they’re
entering
leadership
positions
because
they’re
educated.
Educated
women,
especially
in
their
40s
to
50s,
are
influential
in
a
range
of
leadership
roles
across
our
study
sites,
whether
within
the
party,
in
churches,
school
committees
or
development
projects,
often
being
members
of
multiple
organisations
at
the
same
time.
These
are
no
longer
allocated
‘women’s
roles’,
but
very
often
elected
positions
where
men
have
been
defeated.
The
costs
of
participation
can
be
high,
especially
when
travel
is
involved,
and
this
presents
constraints
for
many,
but
the
benefits
can
be
tangible.
This
includes
the
limited
array
of
patronage
offered
in
the
form
of
programmes
that
hand
out
seeds
and
fertilisers,
but,
perhaps
more
importantly,
in
respect
of
ZANU-PF
party
roles,
involves
being
‘in
the
system’
and
recognised
as
such.
If
problems
arise,
recourse
to
party
officials
is
possible,
even
if
the quid
pro
quo is
many
meetings
and
a
lot
of
free
work,
especially
during
election
periods.
This
is
the
eighth
and
final
blog
in
the
series
on
social
reproduction
and
land
reform.
This
blog
was
written
by
Sandra
Bhatasara
and
Ian
Scoones,
with
inputs
from
Tapiwa
Chatikobo
and
Felix
Murimbarimba.
It
was
first
published
on Zimbabweland.
Post
published
in:
Agriculture