Unseen, unsupported, unmeasured: the plight of widows and older women in Zim

Lazarus Sauti

WIDOWS and older women are largely invisible and unsupported in society, according to the Executive Director at UN Women, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka.

She also said data about them is scarce, meaning their numbers go unmeasured.

“Latest figures, which are from 2015, estimate that there are nearly 260 million widows worldwide; the actual number is likely to be much higher and to grow further as Covid-19 and its related effects on health continue to rage around the world,” Mlambo-Ngcuka said.

She further revealed that more men than women are dying from Covid-19, a fact supported by the World Health Organisation (WHO).

The United Nations (UN) public health agency noted that men account for nearly77 percent of Covid-19 deaths in Thailand, nearly 70 percent in Italy, and nearly 60 percent in Mexico.

“As a result of these losses,” added Mlambo-Ngcuka, “tens of thousands more women could now be newly widowed.”

These and other women in the women are much less likely to have access to old age pensions than men.

“The death of a spouse can lead to misery for older women as they are exposed to poverty, stigmatisation, discrimination, and all forms of violence,” said women rights activist, Daphne Jena.

She added that poverty and harmful traditional practices are compromising the ability of widows and older women to support themselves and their families by cutting them off from political and socio-economic connections.

“Widows – of which the country is home to around 587 000 of them, according to the 2012 census – and older women are not only burdened with caregiving responsibilities for other family members, especially their grandchildren, but are sometimes accused of witchcraft, also revealing worrying discriminative patterns,” Jena said.

“They are routinely deprived of land and property as well as excluded from formal social security and health insurance schemes as these are linked to paid, formal-sector employment.”

When she lost her husband early this year, Fungisai Chireshe (68), a vendor all her adult life, said her brother-in-law kicked her out of her house.

“He grabbed the house I built with my husband, who was a builder. I am now wallowing in poverty,” she told insure263.co.zw. “The Covid-19 pandemic worsened my situation and that of my two grandchildren whom I am looking after.”

Chireshe is not covered by any social security scheme, a challenge affecting most widows and older women in both developing and developed states.

“Only 20 percent of the world’s population has adequate social security coverage, while more than half lacks any kind of social security protection at all,” agreed the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

“Those without coverage tend to be part of the informal economy – they are generally not protected in old age by social security, and they cannot afford to pay their health care bill.”

Gender activist, Anoziva Marindire said without access to social security, widows and older women in Zimbabwe have no choice but to continue working into older age doing petty trade, small-scale, or low-paid farming.

“Without consistent incomes, widows and older women lead shaky lives on the brink of poverty,” she said.

“Social security is, therefore, critical to realising widows and older women’s rights. It has the potential to improve their access to healthcare, in addition to restoring their dignity through financial independence.”

Marindire further said social security schemes such as insurance for women in informal enterprises can help widows, older women, and other vulnerable groups to boost their income, buy food, clothes, and pay school fees for their children and grandchildren.

Head of the National Social Protection Secretariat in Kenya’s State Department of Social Protection, Cecilia Mbaka said social security schemes are also vital in ensuing income security throughout the life course of widows and older women.

She added that social security schemes can enhance access to important social services for widows and older women, including health and care, which are crucial components of socio-economic transformation.

Addressing a virtual Insurance and Pensions Journalism Mentorship Program (JMP) hosted by the Insurance and Pension Commission (IPEC) and National Social Security Authority (NSSA) recently, IPEC Commissioner, Grace Muradzikwa affirmed that the insurance and pensions sector is significant to the achievement of economic growth and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

“Through social protection, insurance can offer safety net to vulnerable households not to fall into poverty. Furthermore, social protection schemes such as pensions – a form of insurance against old age poverty or loss of income after retirement – help in the promotion of gender equality,” she said.

For NSSA Chief Social Security Officer, Tambudzai Jongwe, social security is a human right, enshrined in Chapter 2 subsection 30 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe; Article 12 of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Code on Social Security; and Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

“Chapter 2 subsection 30 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe obliges the state to take all practical measures, within the limits of the resources available to it, to provide social security and social care to those who are in need,” she said.

“Article 12 of the SADC Code on Social Security provides that member-states should provide compulsory coverage, either through public or private mechanisms or through a combination of both.”

Jongwe added, “Article 25 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights states that everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing, and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age, or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.”

However, NSSA Acting Director for Contributions, Collections and Compliance, Agnes Masiiwa said while Zimbabwe has not yet reached the level where all citizens can be protected from all social security contingencies, great strides have been made in providing protection to the country’s labour force and families from hardships emanating from income stoppage due to sickness, employment injury, old age, and death.

“The protection has been achieved through the two schemes currently in place that is, Accident Prevention and Worker’s Compensation and Pension and Other Benefits,” she said.

To promote the right to social security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, and old age in Zimbabwe, Marindire urged stakeholders in the insurance and pensions sector and the state to implement long-term structural changes.

“These changes should not only ensure the availability of social security schemes for all members of society, but should thrive to end traditional practices that deny women equal rights to men,” she said.

For UN Women, there is need for quality data, broken down by age and sex, to ensure widows and older women are seen, supported, and counted or measured, now and in the future.