Men burdening women, says minister Nakadama
Sep 02, 2007
Men who abandon their duty as family providers are misinterpreting the concept of women empowerment, the gender state minister has said.
By Irene Nabusoba
Men who abandon their duty as family providers are misinterpreting the concept of women empowerment, the gender state minister has said.
“These days men even turn to their wives for clothing. The women, out of shame, oblige. This is not the gender empowerment we are talking about,†Rukia Isanga Nakadama, said last week.
The minister, who was launching a report on women property and inheritance rights at Hotel Africana in Kampala, noted that the struggle for affirmative action was hampered by the women’s’ ignorance of laws and structures that protect them.
“We have embarked on gender sensitisation and mainstreaming.
Unfortunately, men are still lagging behind and feigning ignorance of the laws but women also need to stand up for themselves,†she said.
Gaps in the law and implementation, said Nakadama, plus the negative cultural landscapes, had made gender empowerment even more difficult.
“Men think that women should not inherit property. A very stupid boy will inherit an estate yet there is a very bright girl who would otherwise manage it well.â€
Nakadama also launched research findings on the links between poverty, inheritance rights, HIV/AIDS and gender-based violence conducted in South Africa and Uganda.
The workshop drew over 70 participants from sub-Saharan Africa, with most of them calling for more commitment by governments in protecting women’s property and inheritance rights.
Men who abandon their duty as family providers are misinterpreting the concept of women empowerment, the gender state minister has said.
“These days men even turn to their wives for clothing. The women, out of shame, oblige. This is not the gender empowerment we are talking about,†Rukia Isanga Nakadama, said last week.
The minister, who was launching a report on women property and inheritance rights at Hotel Africana in Kampala, noted that the struggle for affirmative action was hampered by the women’s’ ignorance of laws and structures that protect them.
“We have embarked on gender sensitisation and mainstreaming.
Unfortunately, men are still lagging behind and feigning ignorance of the laws but women also need to stand up for themselves,†she said.
Gaps in the law and implementation, said Nakadama, plus the negative cultural landscapes, had made gender empowerment even more difficult.
“Men think that women should not inherit property. A very stupid boy will inherit an estate yet there is a very bright girl who would otherwise manage it well.â€
Nakadama also launched research findings on the links between poverty, inheritance rights, HIV/AIDS and gender-based violence conducted in South Africa and Uganda.
The workshop drew over 70 participants from sub-Saharan Africa, with most of them calling for more commitment by governments in protecting women’s property and inheritance rights.