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Navigating Ttrough the patriarchal terrain of politics : experiences of female politicians in Zimbabwe’s 2018 harmonised election

Vestmø, Natasja LU (2020) MIDM19 20201
Department of Human Geography
LUMID International Master programme in applied International Development and Management
Abstract
Women’s political representation in Zimbabwe has been low since independence in 1980. Studies on women’s access to political decision-making, representation and agency in Africa, including Zimbabwe, is limited. Therefore, this dissertation aims to contribute to localized and contextualized knowledge on the barriers for women’s political representation through a case study of the 2018 harmonised election in Zimbabwe. Through the triangulation of existing literature, field observations and in-depth interviews with women in politics, as well as a theoretical framework on patriarchy, the study provides an understanding of the barriers for women’s political representation and the ways in which women navigate in them. The study reveals and... (More)
Women’s political representation in Zimbabwe has been low since independence in 1980. Studies on women’s access to political decision-making, representation and agency in Africa, including Zimbabwe, is limited. Therefore, this dissertation aims to contribute to localized and contextualized knowledge on the barriers for women’s political representation through a case study of the 2018 harmonised election in Zimbabwe. Through the triangulation of existing literature, field observations and in-depth interviews with women in politics, as well as a theoretical framework on patriarchy, the study provides an understanding of the barriers for women’s political representation and the ways in which women navigate in them. The study reveals and examines the effect of six structures of oppression: 1) State Patriarchy; 2) Economic Inequality; 3) Violence Against Women in Elections; 4) Patriarchal Culture; 5) Mobility; and 6) Sexuality. The dissertation concludes that all these structures contribute to the exclusion of women from meaningful decision-making in the political sphere, and that this misrepresentation and subordination stems from a lack of will by the political male elite to change status quo, from which they benefit. However, the female politicians’ experiences also throw light on the different strategies they use to navigate through and challenge these structures. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Vestmø, Natasja LU
supervisor
organization
course
MIDM19 20201
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
patriarchy, patriarchal structures, women’s political representation, women’s agency, electoral processes, quota systems, affirmative actions, Zimbabwe
language
English
id
9027349
date added to LUP
2020-09-08 11:31:54
date last changed
2020-09-08 11:31:54
@misc{9027349,
  abstract     = {{Women’s political representation in Zimbabwe has been low since independence in 1980. Studies on women’s access to political decision-making, representation and agency in Africa, including Zimbabwe, is limited. Therefore, this dissertation aims to contribute to localized and contextualized knowledge on the barriers for women’s political representation through a case study of the 2018 harmonised election in Zimbabwe. Through the triangulation of existing literature, field observations and in-depth interviews with women in politics, as well as a theoretical framework on patriarchy, the study provides an understanding of the barriers for women’s political representation and the ways in which women navigate in them. The study reveals and examines the effect of six structures of oppression: 1) State Patriarchy; 2) Economic Inequality; 3) Violence Against Women in Elections; 4) Patriarchal Culture; 5) Mobility; and 6) Sexuality. The dissertation concludes that all these structures contribute to the exclusion of women from meaningful decision-making in the political sphere, and that this misrepresentation and subordination stems from a lack of will by the political male elite to change status quo, from which they benefit. However, the female politicians’ experiences also throw light on the different strategies they use to navigate through and challenge these structures.}},
  author       = {{Vestmø, Natasja}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Navigating Ttrough the patriarchal terrain of politics : experiences of female politicians in Zimbabwe’s 2018 harmonised election}},
  year         = {{2020}},
}