С»ÆÊéÊÓƵ

The persistent marginalization and invisibility of women in policymaking across Sub-Saharan Africa, including Zimbabwe, remain pressing concerns in international discourse. Despite increasing recognition of the need for gender equity in education and policy, systemic barriers in Zimbabwe continue to restrict women's access and influence. This dissertation in practice, presented in two parts, (i) a narrative analysis and (ii) a policy guide for advocacy, examines the factors that enable or hinder women’s participation in education policy formulation. The central research question is: How do women participate in education policy formulation in Zimbabwe? Using a qualitative case study approach, the study explores both historical and contemporary dimensions of women’s engagement. Findings reveal that although women may be symbolically included, education policymaking remains patriarchal, exclusionary, and strategically manipulative, constructing controlled spaces that appear inclusive but ultimately preserve the status quo. Document analysis and in-depth interviews with 18 participants show that women’s participation is often reduced to tokenism.  Nonetheless, women adopt non-confrontational, contextually adaptive strategies to assert influence while minimizing personal and political risk. The study takes a sensitive approach to the term feminism, acknowledging that while many participants did not explicitly identify their actions as feminist, their practices align with feminist principles. These women pursue feminist-aligned goals through subtle, indirect, and culturally resonant forms of engagement shaped by context. This strategic ambiguity is both intentional and effective. Overall, the study centres on the tension between feminist-aligned advocacy and the careful navigation of naming and un-naming required in contexts where overt feminist identification may be politically or socially risky.