Before sitting down to put pen to paper, I decided to research the Golden Skirt Phenomenon. To my surprise, google showed me an actual mosaic of golden skirts. Not an indication of my search history of course, and definitely not the statistics I was looking for.
Allow me to explain the Golden Skirt Phenomenon.
The Golden Skirt Phenomenon is the female version of the Golden Trousers. A phenomenon coined in Norway to describe how board members consisted of the same selective group of men of a certain age group. Now, thanks to a disingenuous application of the quota system, we are experiencing the same closed grouping, but of women!
The Golden Skirts sit in a very complex paradox stuffed with nuances. They have been enculturated in a culture that:-
a. Demands that women hold themselves to very rigid norms and ideals being “lady-like”.
Golden Skirts stormed the business world, re-positioning women from the kitchen, to the office, to the boardroom and finally to the statehouse. However, once there, they suffered from engendered perception. It was not enough to be professionally competent, they still had to be “ladies”. Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the recently appointed Director General of the World Trade Organization has a signature uniform to avoid this.
b. Has little to no room for women at the patriarchal table.
They (Golden Skirts) had made it, they sat at the infamous table, albeit tainted with engender perceptions. This was a feat and they felt self-actualized. But more often than not, they sat there alone. While being unique, the exception, the one and only, is often praised, such terms were an excuse to create pressure on these Golden Skirts to carry the fate of all women on their “delicate” shoulders.
c. Celebrates when women are competitive in a toxic manner.
Unique, limited room and, of course, carrying the fate of all women, mixed with general economic regression is the perfect recipe for competition. Sadly, a competitive woman has never been viewed kindly and the Golden Skirts have fallen prey to this, often saying “there are not enough qualified women out there”.
It is not all doom and gloom. The Golden Skirts have paved the path and shattered the proverbial glass ceilings. It is now time to create opportunities. Caren Crown, the Senior Director for Gender at the World Bank said “never waste a crisis”, and Covid-19, is just that crisis. With a forecasted “She-session”, the Golden Skirts are in prime positions to minimize its effects. The first step is by creating opportunities for women in a manner that is not a handout. This bears repeating, in a manner that is not a handout!. Women make up 51% of the Zimbabwean population but are grossly underrepresented in parliament at 12% and 18% in listed entities.
I implore the Golden Skirts to continue being trail blazers by actively seeking to meet the quota system of female representation because there are many adequately qualified women out there. It’s up to you, because you are in the driver’s seat, to find us. Once you have found us, compete with us because the table is large and bountiful. By our mere number (51%) we can shape a more accepting culture of idiosyncrasies.
In closing, let me leave you with some eye-opening statistics of why women should not be marginalized while highlighting areas the Golden Skirts can create opportunities.
- 53% of the global population is made up of women.
- 64% of women in the western world have bank accounts. This number drops to less than 30% in Africa.
- 60% of Zimbabwe’s labour force is women of which 70% is in the agricultural sector.
Dedication
This Articles is in honor of a Golden Skirt, Dr. Joice Chidora, that made every effort to create opportunities for all women in her sphere of influence. May her work be continued and realized.
By Ruvimbo Chidora-Paradzai
