Working Together to Break the Bias - Part 1
To celebrate Women's History Month, we have a series of blog posts by Samantha Nontsikelelo Dube, focused on the #IWD2022 in-person meet up of the participants of Amanatombazana in Bulawayo, and the important conversations they had around gender inequality, as well as how to #BreakTheBias.
Happy International Women’s Day!
International Women’s Day is a reminder for women from all walks of life that gender equality is achievable. For women’s day this year, we, the Amantombazana team aligned ourselves with the IWD’s theme for 2022, which aims to #Breakthebias for women and girls.
“The story of women’s struggle for equality belongs to no single feminist nor to any one organization but to the collective efforts of all who care about human rights.”
Like most countries, Zimbabwe still has a long way to go in being a place in which it is safe to be female, as documented by the vastly shared experiences of women and girls in the country. Although commendable steps have been taken towards addressing key issues that affect women and girls in the country, they still leave a lot to be desired. Amantombazana aims to bridge these gaps, by actively mentoring and nurturing young women and girls to take up space and join in the move towards gender equality.
The Amantombazana team held a luncheon at Padandaro lodge in Barham Green, Bulawayo to commemorate the day. It was an energy-filled day, consisting of great interactions between the mentors from vast backgrounds and age-groups and the mentees who are all of a university-going age. Such a mix of women of varying ages and backgrounds allowed for a rich experience. It fostered a safe space for all to share our diverse experiences of womanhood and the way in which our lives are shaped by the biases we have encountered. We engaged in dialogue on how we can rally our community to help forge women's equality and #BreakTheBias.
The girls of Amantombazana, determined to #BreakTheBias
It was noted that in order to break biases, we would have to identify them and seek ways to address each problem and barriers to equality. Some of the examples raised included references to #unintentionalgenderbias, which are unintentional and automatic mental associations based on gender, stemming from traditions, norms, values, culture and/or experience. These biases undermine any progress being made towards ensuring that families, communities, places of work, etc. are safe spaces that allow for women’s progression towards equal treatment and respect. Identifying the ways in which these biases are nurtured and addressed, will allow us to begin addressing them.
Read on next week to learn more about our discussion.
