Despite constitutional imperatives and government policies aimed at achieving gender equality, Zambian women continue to trail men in a variety of spheres. Women hold only 15% of parliamentary seats and 16% of ministerial positions. While they make up 86% of the informal labor force, only 13% of firms have female top managers (World Economic Forum, 2023; Tembo, 2022).
The Constitution attaches importance to valuing women and men equally and to their rights to shape the country’s political, legal, economic, and social direction (Government of Zambia, 2016). The National Gender Policy was revised in 2014 to address gender imbalances, strengthening calls for equal opportunities for women and men to participate in and contribute to national development, and the Gender Equity and Equality Act of 2015 reinforces the legal framework to eradicate all forms of discrimination against women and girls (Ministry of Gender and Child Development, 2015, 2019).
Despite this policy framework, the country’s ranking in the Global Gender Gap Index declined in 2023, slipping from 62nd to 85th place out of 146 countries (World Economic Forum, 2023).
This dispatch reports on a special survey module included in the Afrobarometer Round 9 (2021/2023) questionnaire to explore Africans’ experiences and perceptions of gender equality in control over assets, hiring, land ownership, and political leadership. (For findings on gender-based violence, see Chibwili, 2023).
Survey findings show that Zambian women continue to trail men in educational attainment and ownership of key assets such as mobile phones and bank accounts. Majorities endorse equal rights for women in employment, land ownership, and political leadership. But significant minorities consider it likely that female candidates for public office might suffer criticism, harassment, or family problems.
Most Zambians approve of the government’s performance in promoting equal rights and opportunities for women, though they also say greater efforts are needed.