The solution to these global challenges rests upon unlocking the full potential of women in the world of work. Did you know that 52% of Zimbabweans are women, and yet there are fewer women being represented in parliament (32%), local Authority (16.7%) and in managerial positions in the private sector (21%),67% of Zimbabwean women live in the rural areas where they depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. They contribute to the bulk of the labor, working 16-18 hours a day and yet even there, due to Patriarchal systems, cultural norms and tradition women own only ten percent of the land.

In an economy like Zimbabwe’s where agriculture is key to development and Livestock contributes 40% to the GDP, it is surprising that only 23% of women own cattle. So what does this all mean? It means that if women had the same access to productive resources (Land, Technology, Inputs, and Capital) as men, they could increase yields on their farms which would increase total agricultural output in developing countries and in turn reduce the number of hungry people in the world. Yet this cannot happen until there is equal representation of men and women in all sectors (Government, private, Local Authority, Health, and Education).

Gender equality in the world of work is essential to achieving sustainable development and ensuring food and nutrition security in households. We must therefore, promote women’s access to economic resources, enabling technologies and practices, paid work and protect women from violence in the work place.