I. Introduction:
Despite the crippling effects of colonization: namely, the intentional bifurcation of African nuclear families and corruptive starkly predetermined gender roles – Botswana has resiliently evolved into a relatively progressive country. In fact, it would be sound to suggest that Botswana has been fairly just in ratifying impartial laws and principles on behalf of the population. However, it has not always been this way – and would be an injustice to the women and men of Botswana assume that its need for revolutionary work is fulfilled. While several issues have been resolved or ameliorated, many have not and will take a galvanized force of men and women, on intimate and mass scales, to challenge these iniquitous policies and cultural practices. Botswana’s has improved by creating conventions to support women’s rights and to mandate protection against discrimination. Additionally, disparities have been remedied by issuing Botswanan women’s suffrage, by creating laws that criminalize domestic violence, by abolishing certain common law practices, by integrating gender analysis, equity and male participation in all sexual and reproductive health interventions, and by adopting the Children’s Act of 2009. Conversely, the reformation of several other legislative policies and cultural practices is almost compulsory. To illustrate, Botswana still needs to reform the lack of representation of women in political spheres/influential positions, the prominent hardships in obtaining justice and requisite legal assistance, the hardships in accessing public health, and the hardships women face in pursuit of attaining the permission to work and move freely. All in all, many Botswanan women (in particular) are trapped in a “modern day” psychological, social, and political prison that they must fight tenaciously to prevail and conquer.
II. History and Progress:
III. Issue I. – Underrepresentation in Political Life:
As aforementioned, patriarchy has plagued the grounds of the world for eons. As a result, women have been left out of the public sphere of influence. In a similar manner, they have been left out of the political sphere for even longer. This is a grave issue that needs remediation immediately by virtue of the idea that injustices against women (and therefore against everyone) are far more likely to occur if there are not women (or men) in place to address concerns that involve them; especially those issues that relate solely or disproportionately to women (and vice versa). It is important that the structure and membership of the Botswanan government exemplify and reflect that of the demographical and cultural influences of the inhabitants of the land. INSERT FOOTNOTE HERE. All in all, this signifies that it is important that there should be a broad yet equitable spectrum of genders and ethnicities to represent the people of Botswana.
To illustrate Botswana’s involvement in “remediating” their unjust policies – under the South African Development Community Declaration (SADC) on Gender and Development Act, Botswana has pledged to uplifting the representation of women in authoritative and political frameworks by 30% by 2005 via a quota system. INSERT FOOTNOTE HERE. However, it has failed miserably in efficiently advancing and developing this pledge. To illustrate, studies of this Botswanan commitment show that there were only “7 women in the 61 seat National Assembly, 4 women in the 24 member cabinet and 4 women in the 35 seat House of Chiefs….[moreover] In the October 2009 elections, of a total of 117 candidates, only 10 were women and only two were elected to parliament.” INSERT FOOTNOTE HERE. Those statistics clearly reflect the lackadaisical efforts that have been taken to “ensure” women’s rights to be included within the public and political spheres of Botswana. Representation of women in Botswana will continue to be an uphill climb – but considering the Botswanan’s progressive drive, it will eventually evince.
IV. Issue II. – Obstacles to Access to Health:
The central two health issues that are widely prevalent in the lives of Botswanans are the human immunodeficiency virus and/or the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) and the complications that result from the conductions of perilous and unlawful abortions. Even though the Botswanan government has genuinely sought to provide accessible health to the women and men of Botswana – these issues plague families greatly (especially women) which renders the government’s “assistance” greatly insufficient. Moreover, certain government sanctioned practices, policies, and laws and perpetuate garrulously unsafe practices. To illustrate, women do not have the right of choice in performing abortions as it is considered unlawful except under certain circumstances. Additionally, abortion is not subsidized or financed by the government. As a result, this policy fosters yet another space for poor women to disobey the Botswanan law. Moreover, vulnerable women in Botswana do not have protection from their choice to abort (illegally).
It is important to recognize that extreme poverty and the aforementioned health issues afflict women to a higher degree than any other people by virtue that “more women than men are supporting single-parent families, which tend to have more dependents and to be poorer than two-parent families.” All in all, the Botswanan government should upscale the accessibility of public health to a greater degree – and make policies that are reasonable and promote higher social capital for the state and better health for the consistuents of Botswana.
V. Issue III. – Obstacles to Access to Justice:
Women in Botswana have a tremendously hard time obtaining justice. To illustrate, if one studies the comparative disadvantage that women have had (compared to men) – they will find that women are unable to access information on their own rights as women, and they are unknowledgeable about the laws the protect and inflict them. INSERT FOOTNOTE HERE. One would find that many women are apprehensive of some conservative social pressure that would be placed amongst them if they choose to speak out against injustice – which causes them to be silent about the things that truly matter to them. Most notably, the women of Botswana are often unable to accept the burdensome legal costs and fees that come along with the protection of their bodies and rights.
Another key point to recognize is the idea that policemen, chiefs, and other supposed law enforcing agents of Botswana often do not have the motivation or the necessary training to discover, deter, or punish wrongdoers. To illustrate, when women (or men) are engaged in situations of gender-based violence – they often have little to no protection from authority figures of the land; which leaves them exceedingly vulnerable to the recurrence of the same or similar issues. In order to rectify this issue, there is a need for a cohort of government-funded defense attorneys that will represent the women of Botswana; there is a need for accessible conventions and/or door to door canvasses for women (and men) to learn about their rights; there is a need for substantial and efficient training of law enforcement agents to hold the inhabitants of Botswana; finally, there is a need for explicit laws that implement “CEDAW in national legislation and enabl[e] its provisions to be invoked before the courts.” INSERT FOOTNOTE HERE. All in all, human beings are entitled to rights to justice – and the people of Botswana still have a long way to go in achieving the full extent of those rights.
VI. Issue IV. – Violence:
VII. Issue VI. – Obstacles to Access to Freedom of Employment and Movement:
In order to have a decent quality of life, it is almost imperative for people to have access to education and work. However, many Botswanan laws and regulations prevent women from actually applying their rights of employment in their daily lives. Although Botswana has endeavored to increase the accessibility of education – many women still are unable to attain a sufficient education in Botswana. In fact, each year several young women are compelled to abandon their education on the basis of economic and social hardships. As an illustration, prominent issues that young women in Botswana face include teenage pregnancy, premature matrimony, and life-threatening health complications. When Botswanan young women become pregnant and/or have children at an early age, education proves to be one of the most sacrificial elements of motherhood by virtue of the idea that most of their time and focus is devoted to nurturing and raising their children. INSERT FOOTNOTE HERE. Moreover, when women get married earlier on in life they are sometimes called to forego their education by virtue of the idea that they need to acquire the necessary revenue in order to simply live and sustain their families. Finally, HIV/AIDS is a widely rampant disease that affects mostly women in Botswana; it threatens their ability and rights to learn and work – by virtue of the idea that it takes a toll on their everyday lives. As a result of all of the aforementioned complications (and lack of training/skill/education), many women are relegated to the informal sectors of employment or no employment at all. However, many women seek to resiliently prevail in the face of all of those issues. Nevertheless, the Botswanan government often cripples their resilience. To illustrate, many jobs are just not offered to women on the basis of gender. In the past women have had to fight to attain rights to work in mines (which is a prominent workforce in Botswana), work in other agricultural fields at night time, and to serve in the Botswanan military. INSERT FOOTNOTE HERE. Considering that women are excluded from many jobs in the public sphere – they are unable to attain the money they need to survive or rights to social security benefits. Moreover, women are not given equitable access to property or credit – which prohibits them from climbing very far on the ladder of economic achievement; this greatly affects women’s ability to move and advance freely in life. All in all, women still remain highly underrepresented in prominent positions in both private and public sectors and need more opportunities to garner a greater quality of life.
VIII. Comparative Study of the Roles of Women:
It is notable to recognize that under the British colonial expansion in and acquirement of Botswana – gender stratification and predetermined roles were a crucial part of the organization of Tswana’s more “westernized/modernized” model of socialization. To demonstrate, task appointments based on gender were most prominently orchestrated in the individual homes of the Sarwa and Tswana people (rather than in just public spaces) – which allowed the British rule to spread quickly. The roles appeared to resemble the ideas that men were considered the hunters and gatherers while women assumed the roles of heading domestic work (reproducing, farming, and sustaining the home). Moreover, the Victorian idea that the culmination of women’s lives is marked by reproduction and marriage contributed to the characterized gender roles of Botswana. These almost ancient roles are still in existence today as many men/husbands travel far to work (and provide for their families) and the women stay in the rural areas of Botswana to care for their families. However, it is not known how long the women of Botswana’s acceptance of these gender constructs will last. To illustrate studies show that “there have certainly been efforts made by women in Botswana to challenge the condemnations implicit in traditional and colonial gender roles, and many of these efforts have seen success.” This is ultra-heightened by virtue of the fact that many women are having to move elsewhere to attain better paying jobs to support their families; also by virtue of the idea that many millennials are veering away from traditional marriage and family routes.