Gender equality has been an ongoing conversation for as long as many can remember. Although strides have been made towards achieving gender equality, there is still much work to be done. Women continue to face discrimination and unequal treatment in education, employment, and representation in leadership positions. However, some countries are showing positive signs of bridging the gap.
The latest World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Gender Gap report indicates progress in the right direction, though gradual. According to the report, at the current pace, it would require 131 years to achieve complete parity between women and men (non-binary or other identities are not considered). Nevertheless, no country has attained full gender equality to date.
Namibia
The only African country in the top 10, Namibia’s gender gap is estimated to be 80.2% closed, putting it in eighth position. Its ranking means it outperforms the United Kingdom (15th, 79.2%), Spain (18th, 79.1%), Canada (30th, 77%), and the United States (43rd, 74.8%).
The country’s ranking makes sense to Penohole Brock, a Namibian former gender sensitivity trainer who is now at the Ministry of International Relations and Cooperation.
“A lot of our ministers are female. A lot of our ambassadors are female. My work colleagues, I would say, do not face discrimination when it comes to career trajectory – it’s been a very healthy work environment in that sense,” Brock said in an interview with BBC. Still, representation is only part of the equation.
“Gender parity is a great step in the right direction. But now it’s time to look at and analyze, ‘Okay, but then what are these female voices advocating for?’,” she said. In terms of gender-based violence and sexual harassment, Brock believes, “we still have quite a long way to go.”
The 2021 Women Peace and Security Index, for example, placed Namibia 95th, behind other African countries including Mauritius, Rwanda, South Africa, and Ghana.
Brock, who also has lived in both South Africa and Paris, says she wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. “The people, the music, the energy – I love it. It’s so diverse. Each region is so different,” she said. “I see so much potential in Namibia. It’s a wonderful place.”