As Malawi approaches next month’s General Election, the call for equal representation in elected positions has never been louder.
Although the country’s Gender Equality Act advocates a 60-40 ratio in leadership positions, the reality on the ground tells a different story. Many Malawian women continue to struggle to achieve parity with their male counterparts, particularly in high-level roles, such as Cabinet portfolios.
Closing this gap demands urgent, collective action.
A few years ago, the Southern African Development Community (Sadc) launched its Gender Protocol—a crucial tool for tracking progress toward gender equality across the region. This protocol establishes benchmarks for women’s participation in decision-making and development; however, many countries, including Malawi, are still far from meeting these goals.
Ahead of the Fresh Presidential Election five years ago, the Gender Coordination Network (GCN) also introduced a framework focused on translating gender equality rhetoric into tangible results. This framework aimed at boosting women’s involvement in politics and public service—a goal that remains as important today as it was then.
Despite various challenges, our country has seen notable progress over the years. Access to education for girls has improved, and public awareness of the impact of gender-based violence on national development has also increased. Initiatives like the 50:50 Campaign have inspired more women to enter active politics and stand for office.
However, many gender equality indicators—like fair employment agreements in the public sector—remain unmet, and much work lies ahead. With the 2025 elections on the horizon, now is the time to support public awareness campaigns, leadership training, and financial assistance for aspiring female leaders. Only through sustained efforts can Malawi meet its commitments to the United Nations 2030 Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union’s Agenda 2063.
Fortunately, many experts suggest that so far no country has achieved 50 percent gender equality in the Sadc region, amid heightened hopes that by 2030, certain countries will have achieved some level of gender equality.
Still, it is good news that Malawi re-launched the 50:50 Campaign some years ago, especially because the majority of the country’s population is made up of women and girls who deserve good foundations to take up future leadership positions in government and the private sector.
It is, therefore, imperative that all Malawians start supporting public awareness campaigns aimed at ensuring equal representation and participation of men and women in elected positions after the September 2025 Tripartite Election. This can also incorporate leadership training for female aspirants to prepare them mentally and psychologically, besides enhancing their decision-making capabilities ahead of the forthcoming elections.
Honestly, there is no denying that poverty and inadequate finances have been a key hindrance to women’s increased participation in politics, but mentoring our women in leadership skills can easily motivate them to vie for challenging top-level positions in various sectors of our economy with support from organisations that already do a great job of supporting women during elections.
Thus, failure to support women between now and voting day on September 16 will compromise efforts to realise the 50:50 goal, making the whole initiative a mere fallacy.
I hope next year we will have many women enjoying subsidised election participation fees to help boost their participation in that year’s elections. However, strong mindset change remains a powerful key since our society has largely regarded women as failures, weak, and second-fiddle players who lack any leadership skills.
This is the major setback campaigners for the 50:50 initiatives face ahead of this year’s elections, and attitude change is the only prerequisite for Malawi to start realising the fruits of the 50:50 Campaign.
