The role of women's organisations in the political development of Zambia,1964-2001: a case study of the UNIP women's league and the Zambia National Women's Lobby Group

This study examines the role of women’s organisations in the political development of Zambia from 1964 to 2001. It focuses on two women’s organisations that were active at different historical periods: The UNIP Women’s League and the Zambia National Women’s Lobby Group. Therefore, the two organisations are viewed according to their different political and historical contexts.

The main argument of this study is that women’s organisations were used by Zambian women as an alternative public sphere to participate as collective political actors in order to institutionalise their issues and also pursue their gender equality goals. The study demonstrates that women’s organisations contributed to the political development of Zambia between 1964 and 2001. They played a cardinal role in setting up institutions and transforming political structures in order to bring women issues and gender concerns in the public arena. Apart from that, they also acted as important agents in politicising women and the democratisation process after 1991. However, there is still more to be done in order to domesticate and implement international and regional conventions in order for both men and women to be equal partners in all areas of national development.

The study takes a qualitative approach by analysing both primary and secondary sources. However, it greatly utilises primary data from the UNIP Archives and the National Archives of Zambia as well as reports from women’s organisations, official Government publications and oral interviews.