POWER IN MALAWIAN POLITICAL PARTIES

THE POLITICS OF WOMEN’S EXCLUSION

  • Kondwani Farai Chikadza, Mr University of Malawi
Keywords: Power, Participation, Exclusion, Political Parties

Abstract

This article employs Steven Lukes’ Three Dimensions of Power to analyse how power disparities between men and women shape the institutionalisation of engendered exclusionary mechanisms in Malawian political parties. The article derives from a qualitative study that was conducted in Mangochi and Phalombe districts of Southern Malawi during the 2014 General Elections. The key argument is that Malawian political parties behave like a political market where there is a strong positive correlation between one’s possession of power and their level of political participation. The article identifies exploitation, opportunity hoarding, emulation and adaptation as key mechanisms perpetuating women’s exclusion from meaningful political participation.

Author Biography

Kondwani Farai Chikadza, Mr, University of Malawi
Kondwani Farai Chikadza is a Public Administration and Political Science Lecturer in the Political and Administrative Studies (PAS) Department of the University of Malawi. He holds a Master of Science Degree in Governance and Development from the University of Antwerp in Belgium and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Public Administration from the University of Malawi. Within the broad Public Administration and Political Science domains, Kondwani specialises in Political Party Politics, Engendered Politics of Exclusion, Social Protection and Politics of Development. He has well over thirteen years of professional experience in research, policy advocacy and capacity development. In 2013, Kondwani was a recipient of the Antwerp Award for Development Cooperation awarded by the Province of Antwerp (Belgium) in recognition for his outstanding research on the Political Economy of Neopatrimonialism in Malawi’s agriculture sector. He is also a 2021 recipient of The New Zealand Commonwealth Scholarship to read for a Doctorate of Philosophy in Political Science and Economics, at Auckland University of Technology (AUT) in New Zealand.
Published
2022-07-25
How to Cite
Chikadza, K. (2022). POWER IN MALAWIAN POLITICAL PARTIES. ZANGO: Zambian Journal of Contemporary Issues, 34(1), 1-15. Retrieved from https://nscme.unza.zm/index.php/ZJOCI/article/view/780