SPEAKER MUTTI ADVOCATES FOR GENDER EQUALITY AS ZAMBIA CELEBRATES WOMEN’S DAY
SPEAKER of the National Assembly of Zambia, the Right Honourable Nelly B.K. Mutti, SC, MP, FAPRA, has called for urgent action on Gender Equality as Zambia joins the rest of the world in commemorating International Women’s Day.
Speaker Mutti made this appeal during a Women’s Day statement made on 5th March, 2025, at Parliament Buildings to mark the occasion being held under the theme, “For all Women and Girls: Rights, Equality, Empowerment.”
The Speaker said that there is urgent need for collective action to promote gender equality and ensure the empowerment of women and girls. She noted that while progress has been made since the landmark Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action 30 years ago, gender disparities continue to persist in Zambia and around the world.
Speaker Mutti acknowledged that, despite the notable contributions in empowering women and girls and promoting their rights through legislative measures such as enacting laws to protect women from violence and discrimination, as well as the inclusion of gender equality provisions in the Constitution (Amendment) Act No. 2 of 2016 and the Gender Equity and Equality Act No. 22 of 2015, persistent economic inequalities continue to disadvantage women.
She noted that, according to data from the United Nations, approximately 2.4 billion women of working age globally are still denied equal economic opportunities. She added that in Zambia, poverty levels among women remain higher than those of men and women’s participation in formal employment is extremely lower compared to their male counterparts.
“This speaks to the fact that, although legislation has been enacted, there is weak implementation of laws that support gender equality, not only in Zambia but globally,” she observed.
Speaker Mutti further bemoaned the low representation of women in the National Assembly of Zambia. She noted that only 25 out of 167 Members of Parliament are women, translating to a mere 15%. She stated that such statistics presented a serious concern, considering Parliament’s Legislative, Representative and Oversight functions.
“With the anticipated amendment of the Constitution on non-contentious issues, it is my expectation that we shall establish a quota system that will guarantee more women in the People’s House,” she said.
Speaker Mutti therefore, called on the Government, development partners, civil society organisations, the private sector and the media to work together to ensure that women and girls have full and equal rights in all aspects in order for them to achieve their full potential.