المنتدى العالمي المعني بالأمن الغذائي والتغذية

In contribution to question #2, we need to look at local context and ask, what is being said about the role of women and girls in development? who is saying what? what are the implications of what is being said? Most marginalisation and disempowerment happen through narratives that people and communities use. In Zambia for example, the passing marks for girls are lower than those of boys. This could be seen as affirmative action. However, what does it say? That girls are less intelligent that boys? These actions created subtle narratives that in turn becomes norms to the extent that empowering women and girls becomes unsustainable because of the narratives in community that perpetuate the notion that women and girls are less able to perform. We need to look at who is perpetuating these narratives and work to change these stories. For now, we are dealing with results of underlying societal biases that have been reinforced by national policies in various sectors.