Zimbabwean Women Research Articles

Associations between depressive symptoms, socio-economic factors, traumatic exposure and recent intimate partner violence experiences among women in Zimbabwe: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundPopulation-based research on the cumulative effects of socio-economic conditions and trauma exposures, particularly women’s experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV) on their mental health in Zimbabwe, has been limited.AimOur study aimed to determine the associations between depressive symptoms and socio-economic factors, IPV, and traumatic exposures among a nationally representative sample of women from Zimbabwe.MethodsData was collected from 2905 women who volunteered to participate in a survey that had a multi-stage random sampling design. Depression was measured using the Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CESD). Traumatic exposures included childhood trauma, life events, and experiences of IPV in the past year. We compared mean depression scores for different categories of variables, conducted linear regression modelling to investigate the bivariate and multivariate associations between variables and depressive symptoms’ outcomes, and applied Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) to investigate the inter-relationships between variables and depressive symptoms’ outcomes.ResultsFifteen percent of women self-reported depressive symptoms (CESD score ≥ 21). Higher depressive symptomatology was associated with lower socio-economic status, experiencing IPV, history of childhood and other traumatic events, experiencing non-partner rape, and HIV positive status. Women who could find money in an emergency and sought informal or professional emotional support were less at risk of severe depressive symptoms. Conversely, seeking informal and formal social support was positively associated with more severe depressive symptoms.ConclusionThis study contributes evidence showing that economic hardship, exposure to traumas including IPV, living with HIV, and low social support have a cumulative negative toll on mental health among Zimbabwean women from the general population. Programmes and services that respond to the mental ill-health effects reported by Zimbabwean women and prevention interventions that tackle the multiple risk factors for depression that we have identified must be prioritised.

Trends in HIV Testing and Associated Factors among Adolescent Girls and Young Women in Zimbabwe: Cross-Sectional Analysis of Demographic and Health Survey Data from 2005 to 2015.

Adolescent girls and young women (AGYW), aged 15–24 years, experience higher HIV incidence compared to their male counterparts, especially in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where the HIV burden is highest. This study determined trends in self-reported HIV testing and associated factors among AGYW in Zimbabwe using the Zimbabwe DHS datasets for 2005/6, 2010/11, and 2015. The proportion of adolescents aged 15–19 years who had ever tested for HIV increased from 14.7% in 2005/6 to 26.5% in 2010/11 and 47.9% in 2015. Among young women, aged 20–24 years, the proportion increased from 34.8% in 2005/6 to 68.7% in 2010/11 and 84.8% in 2015. The odds of ever having an HIV test were significantly higher for those with a higher education (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 12.49, 95% CI: 2.69 to 57.92, p = 0.001), comprehensive HIV knowledge (aOR 1.91, 95% CI: 1.31 to 2.78, p = 0.001), knowledge about mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) (aOR 2.09, 95% CI: 1.55 to 2.82, p < 0.001), non-discriminatory attitudes (aOR 1.60, 95% CI: 1.12 to 2.28, p = 0.010), three or more lifetime sexual partners (aOR 2.0, 95% CI: 1.09 to 3.66, p = 0.025), and a history of pregnancy (aOR 6.08, 95% CI: 4.22 to 8.75, p < 0.001). There is need to scale-up programmes targeting AGYW.

Analysis of the ideal body features for Zimbabwean women for the achievement of the better fitment of fashion products

The research paper explores the Zimbabweans’ view of ideal woman’s body features to provide a comprehensive overview of what is considered an acceptable silhouette in Zimbabwe’s cultural groups in order to achieve better fitment of fashion products by clothing manufacturers. The study used a qualitative research approach in which participants for the interview were purposively selected based on assumed knowledge of cultural norms, values, and beliefs. The study participants comprised both men and women of above 56 years from different cultural groups in Zimbabwe, drawn from the ten provinces namely Matebeleland north, Matebeleland south Bulawayo Harare Mashonaland central, Mashonaland west, Mashonaland east, Masvingo, Midlands, and Manicaland. The study sample consisted of ten elderly partcipants, 5 males and 5 females purposively selected from one district per province. These were subjected to in-depth face-to-face interview and observations to get their perspective on the ideal body features of an ideal woman according to their cultural norms, values and beliefs. The study findings revealed that the ideal body features for the Zimbabwean woman are large nicely curved hips, narrow waist and well-shaped burst area, conforming to pear-shaped silhouette, giant and averagely built body. These ideal features are molded onto the girl child through traditional medicinal consumption and physiological intervention at a tender age from birth to six years.

FACTORS INFLUENCING THE PROLIFERATION OF UNREGISTERED EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT CENTRES IN MARONDERA URBAN DISTRICT, MASHONALAND EAST PROVINCE, ZIMBABWE

The study investigated the proliferation of unlicensed ECD (Early Childhood Development) Centres in Marondera Urban Ward 4. A sample of ten unlicensed ECD operators was drawn from a population of forty unlicensed ECD operators. The study was prompted by the high proliferation rate of the unlicensed ECD Centres in Marondera Urban Ward 4 for the past five years. Self-administered questionnaires were used to collect data from the unlicensed ECD operators. Interviews were used to collect data from Marondera Urban Ward 4 councillors and Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education (MoPSE) officer at Marondera MoPSE provincial offices. The data was analysed and presented in tables, charts and narratives. The results show that the councillor and the MoPSE were aware of the problem of the proliferation of unlicensed ECD Centres in Marondera Ward 4. The findings ECD business was dominated by women in Zimbabwe and no wonder why women were running the majority of unlicensed ECD Centres in Marondera Urban Ward 4. Women are perceived as the gender that was afraid to commit offences or crimes, but results show that they were bold to commit offences. Due to the harsh economic environment in Zimbabwe, women and men were alike in committing offences to provide for their families and survivors. Operating unlicensed ECD Centres was operating an informal business. The economic environment, personal motivation, the ease with which the ECD Centres could be established, and the relaxation of law enforcement agents were the main drivers of the proliferation of ECD centres in Marondera Urban. The study recommended that MoPSE and other stakeholders in the registration of ECD centres should amend the current ECD Centre registration policy and procedures to suit the current economic environment without compromising the health and safety of the ECD pupils. The government should give incentives to registered ECD Centres that may motivate unlicensed ECD operators to get licensed. The MoPSE and local authorities should involve ECD operators when formulating policies.

Decomposing maternal socioeconomic inequalities in Zimbabwe; leaving no woman behind

BackgroundSeveral studies in the literature have shown the existence of large disparities in the use of maternal health services by socioeconomic status (SES) in developing countries. The persistence of the socioeconomic disparities is problematic, as the global community is currently advocating for not leaving anyone behind in attaining Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, health care facilities in developing countries continue to report high maternal deaths. Improved accessibility and strengthening of quality in the uptake of maternal health services (skilled birth attendance, antenatal care, and postnatal care) plays an important role in reducing maternal deaths which eventually leads to the attainment of SDG 3, Good Health, and Well-being.MethodsThis study used the Zimbabwe Demographic Health Survey (ZDHS) of 2015. The ZDHS survey used the principal components analysis in estimating the economic status of households. We computed binary logistic regressions on maternal health services attributes (skilled birth attendance, antenatal care, and postnatal care) against demographic characteristics. Furthermore, concentration indices were then used to measure of socio-economic inequalities in the use of maternal health services, and the Erreygers decomposable concentration index was then used to identify the factors that contributed to the socio-economic inequalities in maternal health utilization in Zimbabwe.ResultsOverall maternal health utilization was skilled birth attendance (SBA), 93.63%; antenatal-care (ANC) 76.33% and postnatal-care (PNC) 84.27%. SBA and PNC utilization rates were significantly higher than the rates reported in the 2015 Zimbabwe Demographic Health Survey. Residence status was a significant determinant for antenatal care with rural women 2.25 times (CI: 1.55–3.27) more likely to utilize ANC. Richer women were less likely to utilize skilled birth attendance services [OR: 0.20 (CI: 0.08–0.50)] compared to women from the poorest households. While women from middle-income households [OR: 1.40 (CI: 1.03–1.90)] and richest households [OR: 2.36 (CI: 1.39–3.99)] were more likely to utilize antenatal care services compared to women from the poorest households. Maternal service utilization among women in Zimbabwe was pro-rich, meaning that maternal health utilization favoured women from wealthy households [SBA (0.05), ANC (0.09), PNC (0.08)]. Wealthy women were more likely to be assisted by a doctor, while midwives were more likely to assist women from poor households [Doctor (0.22), Midwife (− 0.10)].ConclusionDecomposition analysis showed household wealth, husband’s education, women’s education, and residence status as important positive contributors of the three maternal health service (skilled birth attendance, antenatal care, and postnatal care) utilization outcomes. Educating women and their spouses on the importance of maternal health services usage is significant to increase maternal health service utilization and consequently reduce maternal mortality.

Improving Experiences of the Menopause for Women in Zimbabwe and South Africa: Co-Producing an Information Resource

Women in sub-Saharan Africa report multiple impacts of menopause on daily life and have requested further information to support themselves. This study co-produced contextually relevant resources—booklets and poster—about menopause with women in Zimbabwe and South Africa. The study was conducted in four stages: interviews with women about the menopause; the development of prototype information resources; workshops with women to discuss country-specific resources; and the refinement of resources. During the interviews, women explained that they had not received or accessed much information about the menopause and thought the physical and psychological issues associated with the menopause had to be “endured”. Prototype information resources comprised booklets and a poster with contextually relevant images and information. Workshop participants suggested several changes, including the addition of more diverse images and further information about treatments. The resources were refined, translated into several African languages, and endorsed by the Ministry of Health in Zimbabwe and the South African Menopause Society in South Africa. Women will be able to access resources through healthcare clinics, community groups and churches. Working with women and other stakeholders enabled a development that was cognisant of experiences and needs. Work is now needed to improve access to treatments and support for menopause to reduce health inequities.

Confronting Gender Inequalities in Education Leadership: A Case of Zimbabwe

The persistence of the marginalisation of women has dominated education leadership research recently. This study examined literature on women’s education leadership and management through the lens of social justice. The study used Shields’s tenets of transformative leadership to unearth and dissect issues of gender discrimination in education leadership. As a catalyst for a recent systematic review of research on Zimbabwean women’s education leadership literature, the study reviewed 22 publications used earlier in the systematic research review. The studies were identified through numerous electronic searches following carefully defined eligibility criteria. A thematic analysis was conducted through the use of mind maps to deduce common themes. The results suggested a transformation of persistent political, institutional, structural, economic, cultural and social inequalities and human rights violations to achieve social justice in education leadership. Further research should be undertaken to examine the root causes of persistent gender imbalances and the failure of gender equity.

Response to “Simulacra and SimulAsian: The Culture of Hollywood’s Yellow Peril” by Angie Wong

Response to “Simulacra and SimulAsian: The Culture of Hollywood’s Yellow Peril” by Angie Wong Chinelo Ezenwa, Respondent Angie Wong’s article “Simulacra and SimulAsian: The Culture of Hollywood’s Yellow Peril” addresses the subtle ways in which two recent acclaimed Hollywood films reinforce cinematic violence against Asian women, who are either hypersexualized, rendered mute, or shown as carriers of deadly diseases that disrupt the Arcadian world of the whiter Westerner. The article shows that in Venom (2018), the two pre-action Asian women are depicted as disease-ridden bodies, whose main role, it seems, is to deliver the disease from Malaysia to San Francisco. Their transference of disease to the white world also conveniently takes place at an airport, at the border where non-white peoples are often designated as non-beings. Kyoko in Ex Machina (2014) is similarly subjugated by Nathan, her white creator; she represents the white male exploitation of the body, labour, and sexuality of the Asian woman by a hypermasculine white society. Wong points out that in both films, there is neither character development for those women nor any escape for them as soon as they serve the perverse purposes of their “creators.” Perhaps this is because, on the aggregate, they are simulations of real people (“SimulAsians”). But, based on Edward Said’s notion of Orientalism, Wong argues that using the fragmented prism of a technological form of Orientalism (techno-Orientalism) and creating such “SimulAsians” allows these movies to violate and exploit the Asian female characters. Kyoko, the Asian housekeeper-mistress figure in Ex Machina, is the ultimate “Simulacrum” and “SimulAsian,” as Wong demonstrates. This is because, for most of the film, one is uncertain if Kyoko is a cyborg created to look Asian, or if she is [End Page 232] an Asian deliberately presented to look like a cyborg. Whatever reality exists for her is premised on Nathan’s (her manufacturer’s) stereotypical perception of the Asian woman as cold, silent, and sexually available (Wong 9). But it is not even Kyoko’s poor development that bothers one most about Ex Machina. Instead, it is how the film manages to minimize Kyoko when shown against Ava, the Caucasian cyborg. The latter in fact becomes triumphant by exploiting both Kyoko and the unnamed Asian woman’s body. Ava’s only means of escape, it seems, is by literally cherry picking the skin off the bones of the unnamed female Asian figure in order to achieve “humanity.” Therefore, after their final “battle,” only Ava is triumphant while Kyoko remains a victim of the liberation march. Yet, as Wong equally observes, though the film seems to criticize the “dehumanization” of the Asian cyborgs, it is only able to achieve this critique by presenting them as sacrificial lambs, without any will and ability to achieve liberation. This double subjugation is not uncommon for “women of colour.” In my discussion of Tsitsi Dangarembga’s Nervous Conditions, for instance, I show how the Zimbabwean women are double yoked under colonial and traditional patriarchies. The difference is that where the Zimbabwean girls and women are deliberately portrayed in Nervous Conditions with critical voices, Ex Machina and Venom do not allow the Asian women any such power. They are stereotyped as figures of annihilation, while the extreme physical violence against them is masked under the notion that they are not human. The horror of that form of cinematic occlusion of violence is perhaps clearer when one considers the implications of the two Asian diseased bodies in Venom, as Wong does. They are pitted against the white heroic journalist, Eddie Brock, and his lawyer girlfriend, Anne Weying. Despite their flaws, the latter two characters are somehow found the acceptable bodies of the “future” who are able to not only achieve symbiosis with the alien but still maintain their societal moral codes, act out their heroisms, and rescue their world from the threats of the extraterrestrial disease embodied in the Asian women and the equally Asian-looking genius inventor, Riz Ahmed. In both films, the viewer is encouraged to ignore the scenes of violence against the Asian women because the action is conveniently set in the magical world of the movies. Wong rightly points...

Engendering Legal and Institutional Reforms to Ensure Access to Reproductive Justice for Women in Zimbabwe: A Case Study of the Mapingure Case

In many African communities, gender inequality remains the norm as women continue to live at the periphery of society. Women in Africa have continued to bear the greatest burden of sexual and reproductive ill-health. Women's access to reproductive justice is often restricted by the systems, institutions and legal frameworks that (should) facilitate reproductive justice. Thus reproductive justice should be viewed holistically, taking into account cultural, institutional and political barriers and the social environment in which women live. Using the decision in Mapingure as a case study, this article argues that attempts at legal reforms towards access to reproductive justice for women must put women at the centre and address structural and institutional inadequacies that perpetuate gender inequality. The Mapingure case illustrates that the mere existence of positive laws and institutions to enforce these laws is not a guarantee for women to secure access to justice in general and reproductive justice in particular. The article concludes that realising access to justice for women goes beyond creating an enabling legal environment but also modifying socio-cultural behaviour and attitudes that spread patriarchal and primordial hegemonic tendencies.

More than ‘Somebody’s Wife’: Maternalism, Welfare and Identity among White Farming Women in Zimbabwe c.1970–2000

Although the historiography and ethnography of white farmers in Zimbabwe has been growing steadily in recent years, limited attention has been given to the biographies, subjectivities, roles, narratives and identities of white commercial ‘farmers’ wives’. Yet many white ‘farmers’ wives’ played an important but largely ignored role in farm welfare programmes, particularly those which were run between 1980 and 2000 by various non-governmental organisations. This article examines, through detailed case studies, the complex personal and broader motivations that white farming women had for becoming involved in farm welfare endeavours during this era. It demonstrates that for such ‘farmers’ wives’, farm welfare programmes allowed them to transcend societal expectations of domesticity, enabling them to use skills they had given up on in marriage, develop new skills, and contribute to society in ways that built their identities beyond being ‘somebody’s wife’. Yet this maternalistic work in farm welfare also played a crucial political role for the white farming community, allowing these ‘farmer’s wives’ to both challenge ‘settler masculinity’ and yet also help white farmers to manage their precarious position in the independent country.

“Becoming a somebody”: mobility, patronage and reconfiguration of transactional sexual relationships in postcolonial Africa

The article explores the many ways in which Zimbabwean women married to Nigerian migrant entrepreneurs in Harare reconfigure transactional sexual relationships to further their own ends. Drawing on postcolonial feminism and based on a qualitative ethnographic inquiry, the article highlights women’s agency motivated by pursuit of an idealised lifestyle, and patronage as the guiding principle in these transactional sexual relationships. This encompasses exchanges of sexual, monetary and emotional favours. Beyond this, women are also subordinated to moral principles of accumulation and distribution to their kinship networks, serving long-term objectives of social reproduction. These transactional relationships are guided by complex interlinkages of mutual exchange and bonds where sex, love, money and obligations are inextricably linked to each other. The article destabilises and disrupts mainstream views of women as weak and powerless, views that work to subordinate women based on their position in society. It posits that scholars must take into consideration the obvious and subtle factors that coalesce to create positive outcomes for women in transactional sexual relationships across the migration spectrum. Defining and understanding these positive outcomes greatly enhances the theoretical grounding of migration and the individual experiences of women.

Women and Work in Zimbabwe, C.1800–2000

Women and Work in Zimbabwe, C.1800–2000 Pilossof Rory (bio) ABSTRACT This paper looks at the working lives of women in Zimbabwe and how these have shifted and changed over the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. To do so, official labor records, census and labor surveys are augmented with qualitative data about the labor relations women performed outside of the formal economy. Key here will be exploring female contributions to the informal labor economy, subsistence or peasant agriculture, and their reproductive and household labor. In order to fully assess women's participation in the economy of the region, attention will also be paid to the migrant labor system in southern Africa and how women have responded to this, participated in it, and pursued their own agency within this system. The paper adopts wider conceptual approaches, including a broader definition of labor and using the methodology and the taxonomy of labor relations developed at the International Institute of Social History for the study of shifts and continuities in labor and labor relations across time and space at a global scale. The paper makes the argument that social structure and gender relations present in African societies during the late 1800s informed responses to colonialism, not necessarily the other way around. These relations continued to influenced how women interacted with the wage labor economy and informal economy after independence and into the twenty-first century. KEYWORDS gender, women, labor, trade, Southern Africa [End Page 93] Introduction Labor studies in Zimbabwe have a rich and well-developed historiography. The contested and uneven processes of colonization, urbanization and land accumulation have meant that labor, and how labor has interacted with these processes, has been a central focus for a number of scholars and researchers, such as Giovanni Arrighi, Ian Phimister, Charles van Onselen, and Brian Raftopoulos.1 Part of the reason for the wealth of critical literature, particularly from 1890 to the present, is the availability of archival sources with which to undertake such research: censuses, labor surveys and labor reports. However, as this paper illustrates, these archival sources fundamentally misrepresent and undercount the working lives of women in Zimbabwe. To get a more comprehensive picture of the work women did necessitates exploring female contributions to the informal labor economy, subsistence or peasant agriculture, and their reproductive and household labor. Furthermore, to fully assess women's participation in the economy of the region, attention will also be paid to the migrant labor system in southern Africa and how women have responded to this, participated in it, and pursued their own agency within this system. The paper adopts wider conceptual approaches, including a broader definition of labor and using the methodology and the taxonomy of labor relations developed at the International Institute of Social History for the study of shifts in labor and labor relations across time and space at a global scale. Historical Background Pre-1890 Before the arrival of European settlers, two main population groups, the Shona and Ndebele, dominated the area now known as Zimbabwe. The "Shona" lived across Zimbabwe and Mozambique. The term Shona represents a collection of people, made up of a number of groups (Korekore, Zezuru, Karanga, Kalanga, Manyika, Ndau, and Rozvi), who "speak different, but mutually intelligible, dialects."2 They dominated the middle and high veld areas of Zimbabwe (from northwest to southeast of the country). The Shona were mainly agriculturalists, growing a wide variety of crops, which varied from region to region and on weather conditions. Millet and sorghum were widely grown, and later maize. Livestock were also kept and included cattle, goats, sheep, dogs and fowl. David Beach, by focusing on a small village, Goredema, part of the Chivero group of people, gives us some insight into the functioning of the Shona villages. In the late nineteenth century, Goredema village consisted [End Page 94] Click for larger view View full resolution Figure 1. Map of Zimbabwe of more than 100 people, settled in a sprawling settlement. It consisted of 16 married men, 7 polygamists (with 2 wives each) and 14 bachelors (42 percent bachelors, 34 percent polygamists, 24 percent monogamists for whole male population). Shona society had bride price and bride service marriage systems. As Beach explained...

Role of the police in access to justice for sexual and gender-based violence perpetrated against diverse women in Zimbabwe

Bound by the 2013 Constitution of Zimbabwe (“Zimbabwean Constitution”), as informed by regional human rights law, Zimbabwean police should facilitate access to justice for everyone. This article interrogates the lived realities of diverse women in terms of how the police in Zimbabwe respond when they report cases of sexual and gender-based violence (“SGBV”). Using qualitative data this article also interrogates institutional practices questioning the alignment of laws and actions to the Zimbabwean Constitution. The findings show that the reluctance of the police to efficiently and appropriately engage with SGBV cases reported by diverse women is encouraged by the homophobic context in which these take place. The ability of the police to provide justice to diverse women who experience SGBV can be strengthened by repealing the laws that criminalise same-sex relations and sodomy and by implementing regional human rights law as interpreted through Resolution 275 of the African Commission on Human and People’s Rights.

HIV status, knowledge and prevention of cervical cancer amongst adolescent girls and women: a secondary data analysis.

Introductionthe objective of this manuscript was to describe the knowledge profiles and determinants of cervical cancer screening among HIV positive and negative adolescent girls and women in Zimbabwe.Methodswe conducted secondary statistical data analysis to explore the determinants of cervical cancer screening among HIV positive and negative adolescent girls and women using Zimbabwe Demographic Health survey for 2015-16.Resultsa total of 9054 adolescent girls aged 15-19, and women aged 20-49 were included in the analysis and the majority (63%) of them resided in rural areas. More than two-thirds (65.9%) had attained secondary level of education. The majority (41.3%) of the adolescent girls and women belonged to the Apostolic sect. A number of key determinants have been identified for being ever screened for cervical cancer. The odds of being ever being screened increased by age, OR(CI) 4.38 (3.22-5.94), p<0.001 for women who are 40 years and older when compared to adolescent and young woman who are between 15-24 years.Conclusionour study reports significant programmatic gaps in the provision of cervical cancer screening and treatment services in the country. The nascent Zimbabwe cervical cancer screening and treatment progamme will benefit from expansion of the number of facilities offering the services and the provision of more efficient health education to adolescent women and girls.

Experiences of cervical cancer screening in HIV-positive women in Zimbabwe.

BackgroundThe primary purpose of screening is to detect individuals in danger of cervical cancer so as to prevent further progression of the disease. Cervical cancer remains a global concern, as it ranks as the fourth most commonly diagnosed female malignancy worldwide. It is the commonest female cancer in Zimbabwe. Women living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) have a disproportionate risk of invasive cervical cancer, as they are 2–12 times more likely to develop pre-cancerous lesions. As a result of the increased risk, routine screenings are suggested. Few women are screened for cervical cancer in Zimbabwe.ObjectivesThis study aimed at describing the experiences of screening for cervical cancer and motivation behind screening.MethodThe study employed a qualitative research approach. In-depth one to one interviews and focus group discussions were conducted using interview and focus group guides. The study was conducted at an opportunistic infections clinic in Mpilo Central Hospital. Data analysis was performed by using Giorgi’s descriptive method of data analysis.ResultsThe themes that emerged from data analysis were facilitators to screening for cervical cancer, community awareness of cervical cancer screening, free cervical cancer treatment and more screening centres and integrating cervical cancer screening with HIV care.ConclusionIn-depth understanding of the factors that enable women to take part in cervical cancer screening is essential so that these factors can be strengthened to improve uptake of cervical cancer screening services.

The determinants and impacts of age-disparate relationships on women in Zimbabwe: A life course perspective

Age-disparate relationships (ADR) with older men have been studied mostly in the context of HIV and found to be associated with increased HIV prevalence among young women in sub-Saharan Africa. Less is known about the impact of ADR on the broader life course of women. The objectives of this study are to identify the factors associated with being in ADR and estimate the association between ADR and a set of life outcomes in Manicaland, Zimbabwe. We used data from a general population open-cohort survey from 1998 to 2013 in Manicaland. We applied binary logistic regression models to estimate the odds ratios for association between socio-demographic determinants and ADR and multinomial logistic regression models to estimate the association between ADR and women's life outcomes. We found that women with less education, younger age at first sex and first marriage were more likely to be in ADR, and women in ADR have male partners with less education and less skilled employment. In terms of life and relationship outcomes, women in ADR had mostly negative life outcomes compared to women not in ADR. Future policies and research on ADR in women should reflect these complexities and study a wider range of life outcomes, beyond the commonly studied narrower topics such as HIV.

The use of objective adherence measures targeting four placebo microbicide delivery forms in the Quatro Clinical Crossover Study

AbstractBackgroundAdherence to topical microbicides for HIV prevention has been a challenge for women using them and those developing novel products. The Quatro Clinical Crossover Study investigated user preference and acceptability of four different placebo‐based vaginal delivery forms among young African women. The objective of this sub‐study was to test the ability of objective adherence measures in assessing placebo product usage.MethodsA total of two hundred women from Zimbabwe and South Africa used placebo vaginal gel, insert, and film once per week, with or without sex, for 1 month and an intravaginal ring continuously for one month (Months 1–4). Women then chose their preferred product and used it with sex each week during Month 5. Women self‐collected vaginal swabs after using the gel, insert and film. Collected vaginal swabs and used intravaginal rings were analysed for placebo‐based adherence measures using spectroscopy and excipient‐based analyses to determine product use. Vaginal insertion and semen exposure was determined using previously developed and published adherence biomarkers. Intravaginal rings were extracted for residual excipient (glycerin) and penetrated bioanalytes.ResultsBoth methodologies showed that women used gel the most during Months 1–4 (75% by excipient methods, 85% by spectroscopy). The methodologies also determined that nearly all swabs from both sites were vaginally inserted, and 51–86% had detectable placebo product. Semen was detected in more swabs collected during Month 5 from women in Zimbabwe than the swabs from women in South Africa, and most of those swabs had placebo product present as well. The majority of women used the ring for the required four weeks. Sixty‐eight per cent of women who used the ring for the required 4 weeks increased to 78% during Month 5.ConclusionThis sub‐study demonstrated how these objective placebo‐based measures of adherence determined product use of various microbicide delivery forms.

Unequal access to redress for women ex-combatants in Zimbabwe: an intersectional analysis

ABSTRACT Women played a range of complex roles during the liberation struggle in Zimbabwe between 1961 and 1980. However, although the Zimbabwean post-independence government made attempts to promote gender equity following the liberation struggle, women ex-combatants continue to experience unequal access to redress compared to their male counterparts. Part of the reason for this is that they were not considered as a specific social group in post-independence policies. Discussions at Lancaster House in 1979 addressed redress for ex-combatants broadly but neglected to pay attention to women and their unique experiences in the struggle and in the post-independence context. In addition to this, it is not only gender, but also issues of social class and ethnicity that have shaped the political and socio-economic position of women ex-combatants in post-independence Zimbabwe. Using an intersectional lens, this article examines the experiences of Zimbabwean women ex-combatants, taking into consideration their class, sexuality, gender and ethnicity. It argues that gender on its own is inadequate to account for unequal access to redress. Rather, other social categories such as, but not limited to, social class and ethnicity should be investigated in order to understand the struggles faced by women ex-combatants in post-conflict societies in order for all to have equal access to justice and redress.

Gendered social media communication around mining: patriarchy, diamonds, and seeking feminist solidarity online

ABSTRACT Although it is increasingly well-known that mining generates a vast array of gendered impacts, less studied is how women in mining zones have turned to online social media to articulate concerns and mobilise for collective action. This article explores how gendered social media communication has conveyed injustices experienced by women in Zimbabwe’s diamond-mining areas and produced spaces of feminist solidarity in navigating structural violence, offering mutual support, and sharing daily developments and strategic initiatives. While Zimbabwe’s diamond-mining controversies have transformed over the years, communication online has continued to occur under the gaze of online state surveillance, and online spaces are never risk-free spaces. Seeking equitable development and inserting into politically sensitive topics, sensibilities of ‘online’ community-building have been different across a range of contexts and for different people. We explore communication online, bringing together discussions of gender-focused critiques of mining megaprojects, state violence, and feminist research in online spaces.

Internal Savings and Lending Schemes (ISALS) and the empowerment of women in rural Shamva, Zimbabwe

ABSTRACT Lack of women’s empowerment is a reality for women in Zimbabwe, including rural Shamva women. This research presents findings from primary data collected using in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. The research departs from other studies by adopting an empowerment perspective to ISALS scholarship. Using the Sara Longwe Women Empowerment Framework, we explore the impact of ISALS on women’s socio-economic status. ISALS were found to contribute to improved financial wellbeing. As women’s economic fortunes improve, they gain respect and regard in the community. Despite these positive indicators, however, ISALS also was found to be a source of exclusion and polarisation.