‘For the Elections, We Want Women!’: Closing the Gender Gap in Zambian Politics

This article examines the causes of women’s rising political participation in Zambia. It argues that women’s historical paucity in politics was largely the result of widely-shared gender stereotypes. These are now weakening due to growing flexibility in gender divisions of labour, which has been catalysed by worsening economic security. By performing work previously presumed to be beyond their abilities and valourised because of its association with masculinity, such women are increasingly perceived as equally capable of leadership. Prolonged exposure to a critical mass of flexibility in gender divisions of labour thus appears to undermine assumptions of difference upon which gender status beliefs are predicated. Association through paid work in the public sphere also appears particularly significant. By sharing their experiences, discussants learn about women’s growing share of socially valued roles. Their demonstrations of equal competence are increasingly regarded as typical rather than exceptional. This has led to collective disavowals of gender stereotypes. Furthermore, public affirmation of women’s equal competence and endorsement of their political participation have shifted (some) other people’s presumptions about cultural expectations. This has allayed concerns about anticipated social condemnation, which previously discouraged women’s incursions into the masculine terrain of politics. This gradual erosion of gender beliefs has fostered women’s political participation and leadership. By articulating how social change has occurred in Zambia, this paper seeks to contribute to broader debates about gender gaps in political participation and leadership.