Beyond Policy Adoption: A Feminist Analysis of Women’s Political Participation in Zimbabwe’s Local Government

The relationship between gender and political engagement is complex and considerably varies across institutional, social, and cultural settings. Women have historically been underrepresented in political spheres because of structural and societal constraints that prevent them from participating. To address this, Zimbabwe, like the rest of the world, has implemented a vast array of policy instruments to promote women’s political participation at both national and subnational government levels. However, significant disparities persist as women’s representation and participation at the subnational government level remain constrained. In this light, the study employs a feminist analytical lens to examine why these gender policy instruments have not translated into substantive political participation in local governance in Zimbabwe. The findings reveal that the proportion of women in politics remains lower than that of men despite policy and legislative instruments such as gender quotas and affirmative action laws. Several entrenched structural and cultural barriers constrain the effectiveness of policies promoting gender-inclusive political participation in local governance in Zimbabwe. These barriers include political violence, perpetuation of patriarchal norms, financial exclusion, and weaknesses within the electoral architecture. The study concludes that while Zimbabwe has implemented several gender-inclusive policy instruments to promote women’s political participation, there is a need to go beyond formal policy adoption to structural reform through public education, cultural shifts, and the establishment of an inclusive and safe political climate.