The Zimbabwe Gender Commission (ZGC) has called on the government to address the disproportionate impacts of climate change on rural women, emphasizing their crucial role in building climate resilience through effective land and resource stewardship.
Rural women often face systemic barriers that limit their voices, choices, and control over their destiny. This manifests in unequal access to, control over, and ownership of resources.
The current drought caused by El Niño exacerbates the difficulties encountered by rural women, who are disproportionately impacted by climate-related disasters. The ZGC urges officials to take immediate measures to address the effects of climate change on the livelihoods of these women.
“As we commemorate this day, the ZGC calls upon the government and relevant stakeholders to take immediate action to address the impacts of climate change on the livelihoods of women living in rural areas through targeted support and resources,” the ZGC said in a statement.
“Raise awareness about the link between economic stress and gender-based violence, providing support services for affected women. Let us recognize that women living in rural areas are key to rebuilding our food systems and fostering resilient communities,” the ZGC added.
This year’s International Rural Women’s Day was celebrated under the theme: “Rural Women Sustaining Nature for Our Collective Future: Building climate resilience, conserving biodiversity, and caring for land towards gender equality and empowerment of women and girls.”
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), around 80% of women in communal areas represent 61% of the farming community and contribute a remarkable 70% of agricultural labor. Many of these women are categorized as unpaid family workers, spending 16 to 18 hours daily, with 49% of their time devoted to agricultural tasks and 25% to household duties.
