Zimbabwe has taken significant steps toward gender equity. Guided by a National Gender Policy since 2003 and a Ministry of Women Affairs, Gender and Community Development since 2005, the country also guarantees, in its 2013 constitution, that every woman should have full and equal dignity of the person, including equal opportunities in political, economic, and social activities. The Zimbabwe Gender Commission is charged with monitoring issues related to gender equality. Despite these commitments, women and girls in Zimbabwe continue to face disadvantages in the political, social, and economic spheres. Public decision-making institutions are dominated by men. Women also trail men in access to agricultural productive resources. Based on findings from the most recent
Afrobarometer survey in Zimbabwe, a majority of Zimbabweans give a thumbs-up to the
government for its efforts to promote equality between women and men. Most see opportunities
for women getting better and think that equal opportunities already exist for women to get a
paying job and to own and inherit land. But most Zimbabweans also prefer having a woman in
charge of the home and the children.
