Hi. I would like to respond to the 2nd question - are we using the right approahes in addressing closure of the gender gap. Two strategies have been said to be used 1- Women empowerment and 2 -Gender and deveopment. Apparently most organisations have then decided to dwell on strategy 1 which is what most of us are all talking about. But from what i am seeing strategy 1 has sustainability issues. Gender equality and equity are being exercised in a way that leverages women to be 'empowered' but even when they are up there, they are still not confident because they feel they were favoured to be there. When male counterparts jeer at them for making a simple mistake they crash easily. Hence she is left in a worse of case than where she was before. In some projects I have worked for, women are given start up capital for their businesses but still they are robbed of those finances by their husbands, and still cant report back about it. If she decided to stand her ground and fight back it then results in a divorce.
But if organisations are to dwell more on strategy 2 - gender and development, it means men will be equally engaged on gender issues as much as women. Men generally being more influencial than women can then speed up the process of closing the gender gap. Often men fight gender related issues because most of them do not understand how it will benefit them as men. hence lack of knowedge is resulting in resistance. Yes women may be empowered, and do all kinds of things but men will always remain her draw back unless men fully understands what gender is about, then he will gladly pull women up.
The gender and development strategy is the way to go.
Mme Leocadia Muzah