Politika Benimsemenin Ötesinde: Zimbabwe Yerel Yönetiminde Kadınların Siyasal Katılımının Feminist Bir Analizi

Öz

Toplumsal cinsiyet ile siyasal katılım arasındaki ilişki karmaşık olup, kurumsal, toplumsal ve kültürel bağlamlara göre önemli ölçüde farklılık göstermektedir. Kadınlar, siyasal alanlara katılımlarını engelleyen yapısal ve toplumsal kısıtlar nedeniyle tarihsel olarak siyasette yetersiz temsil edilmiştir. Bu duruma yanıt olarak, Zimbabwe de dâhil olmak üzere dünya genelinde, kadınların hem ulusal hem de yerel yönetim düzeylerinde siyasal katılımını artırmayı amaçlayan çeşitli politika araçları uygulanmıştır. Bununla birlikte, özellikle yerel yönetim düzeyinde kadınların temsili ve katılımı sınırlı kalmaya devam etmekte ve önemli eşitsizlikler sürmektedir. Bu bağlamda, çalışma, feminist bir analitik çerçeve kullanarak, söz konusu toplumsal cinsiyet politikası araçlarının neden yerel yönetişimde somut siyasal katılıma dönüşmediğini incelemektedir. Bulgular, toplumsal cinsiyet kotaları gibi politikalar ile pozitif ayrımcılık yasaları gibi yasal düzenlemelere rağmen, siyasetteki kadın oranının erkeklere kıyasla hâlâ düşük olduğunu ortaya koymaktadır. Ayrıca, Zimbabwe’de yerel yönetişimde toplumsal cinsiyeti kapsayıcı siyasal katılımı teşvik eden politikaların etkinliğini sınırlayan köklü yapısal ve kültürel engeller tespit edilmiştir. Bu engeller arasında siyasal şiddet, ataerkil normların sürdürülmesi, finansal dışlanma ve seçim sistemine ilişkin yapısal zayıflıklar yer almaktadır. Çalışma, Zimbabwe’nin kadınların siyasal katılımını teşvik etmeye yönelik çeşitli toplumsal cinsiyet kapsayıcı politika araçlarını uygulamış olmasına rağmen, yalnızca biçimsel politika benimsemenin ötesine geçilmesi gerektiği sonucuna varmaktadır. Bu doğrultuda, kamusal bilinçlendirme, kültürel dönüşüm ve kapsayıcı ile güvenli bir siyasal ortamın oluşturulmasını içeren yapısal reformlara ihtiyaç duyulmaktadır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Kadınların siyasal katılımı
• yerel yönetişim
• toplumsal cinsiyet politika araçları
• siyasal yetersiz temsil
• Zimbabwe

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

Öz

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.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Women’s political participation
• local governance
• gender policy instruments
• political underrepresentation
• Zimbabwe

Kaynakça

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