Zimpapers Logo

Tsungai Chekerwa-Machokoto, Gender
THE November 8 American elections aroused different feelings in me. I was so sure that Hillary Clinton would win. She was logical, experienced and just the perfect candidate. In comparing just the speeches, one would be sure that people would vote for logic, which in my mind was Mrs Clinton.

Being a white woman, she was extremely inclusive and considerate in her policies. She cared. As the voting progressed I had a feeling in my stomach that I can’t describe. Yes, it was an American election but the fact that a woman had gone that far, I knew what failure would translate to for us feminist activists. I knew that the perceptions and stereotypes of women would go the southern direction.

Needless to say, after the announcement of the winner — Donald Trump, social media and all other media went crazy. Americans protested, people joked, some were angry especially because of the explicitly degrading, sexist, discriminatory stereotypical sentiments that were announced by Mr Trump. What got to me over everything else though, were the comments about Mrs Clinton. One said “Clinton won the debates like any woman does”. Another said, “The most powerful office in the world could never be occupied by a woman”.

The fact that Mrs Clinton was a woman apparently eroded all political reason for conservatives. It is alleged that some of her party mates voted the other way simply because they are conservative with regard to being led by a woman. Never mind the fact that she had been married to a leader, then went on to work with the Barack Obama administration for eight years! They would rather have a billionaire property mogul for president over a lawyer with a lifetime of experience, working in different political offices, and eventually with President Obama for his two terms. I wonder if a man with all those credentials would have made it. I wonder.

It was disheartening to hear people say “she would have been great if only she was a man”. This is coming from the most liberal and open minded nation in the world. Such comments were extremely discouraging. It was a stressful time for women.

Mrs Clinton’s defeat, for the second time, cemented the position of women in a way that is quite defeating. Hereafter, whenever a woman reaches for the top, the biggest glass ceiling ever will be placed above her. The world knows about it and I’m sure will use it. It was almost like she was too ambitious. But was she?

What does it take to aspire for greatness in this life? Is it education? Mrs Clinton had that. Is it passion? Mrs Clinton had that too. Is it experience?

Oh, that she has! Is it exposure? Her work speaks for itself. So what went wrong? Was it just the little aspect of her sex or her gender? Could that be it? I guess we’ll never really know.

I have seen women hiding their pregnancies because of an upcoming promotion season. Instead of celebrating the miracle of birth, they hide it because pregnancy, a biological attribute of women, is considered a weakness in the corporate world. How sad is that? I have also seen women experiencing revolving doors and glass ceilings. And I have always found comfort in blaming our African culture and mindsets as well as religion. I have blamed race sometimes as well. Of course I have also blamed patriarchal domination and the maintenance of the status quo. Lack of education and access to information were also among my list of reasons why women in Africa struggle to climb the corporate ladder. However, after what happened to one of us, I had the biggest rude awakening of all time.

No matter how much you achieve, how much you work towards something or how much effort you put into something, your sex could be the deciding factor of your fate. To me, and a lot of other people, both women and men, Mrs Clinton had a good chance to win. She could have won but I guess the people spoke. No matter how many protests people can be involved in, the fact remains, people voted for the candidate they wanted and we must not only accept it, we must respect it.

My colleagues and I have been discussing this issue at length and we have concluded that women are to keep keeping on. One day is one day. I have a dream that one day, women presidential candidates will be considered and respected for their work, experience and political stamina and not face criticism unnecessarily based on their sex. One day, it will be a woman in the Oval Office. One day, more African women will also become presidents. I believe it with everything I have. If one of us could be so close to it, one of us will get in there.

Maybe it wasn’t this time round, but it WILL happen because impossible is nothing. Women are the most enduring people in the world and we will endure this journey too. I personally will continue to celebrate Mrs Clinton for the amazing strides that she has taken and we will keep holding the torch she started from here in Africa. This should never discourage women from pursuing political careers but should help them go at it with more zeal. Here’s to women in power!