Attitude key in empowering corporate women

For women to climb the ranks of corporate and social Namibia, a major stumbling block that needs addressing is these very women’s attitude towards themselves. This is according to the Minister of Gender Equality and Child Welfare, Rosalia Nghidinwa, who launched a new initiative aimed at driving female inclusion in management positions on Thursday. “Attitude is a major stumbling block in the sense that most women have internalised the oppressive, male-dominated status quo as what and how it should be. This problem is compounded by the fact that most people believe that the gender issue is women’s problem,” Nghidinwa said. The attitude issue, she said, counteracts the necessary psychological foundation for women's empowerment. She referred to a number of successes in the local women’s movement, including the Swapo Party’s amendment of its constitution in June to guarantee 50/50 gender representation on all party levels, as well as efforts by Women’s Action for Development (WAD) and the Legal Assistance Centre (LAC), among others. In spite of all these efforts, she said, there are still many problems confronting Namibian women today. “Problems that still cast a heavy cloud over women empowerment in Namibia include a lack of, or low participation in decision-making, lack of access to credit, poor employment in the formal sector, prostitution, alcohol and drug abuse, teenage pregnancies, illiteracy and poverty,” the minister said. Attended by entrepreneurs, politicians, businesspeople and academics, the initiative launched on Thursday was developed by global learning and development company Duke Corporate Education (Duke CE) Africa, headquartered in Durham USA. “This five-day programme is introduced out of the recognition that there is a critical need to increase and strengthen leadership capacity in pan-Africa and ultimately increase board representation by at least 30% for women in decision-making positions in the private and public sector of companies and organisations in Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands," said Hilda Basson-Namundjebo, managing director of Oxygen Communications. WINDHOEK STAFF REPORTER