Challenges faced by female college students
COLLEGE life can sometimes be the most challenging phase for a girl child. As much as one might enjoy being associated with a tertiary status which could possibly mean you are on the right path in pursuit of studies, a signifier of a brighter future, it is unfortunate that we cannot still hold on to the mantra when education was largely cited as a “key to success”.
My college life was not all rosy, especially with my orphanhood background. I had to scout for tuition fees, clothing, transport among many other things needed.
Luckily I had a cousin who offered me accommodation and food which eased my burden. I had to work extra hard, juggling between part time ‘ethical’ jobs to meet my transport and living costs.
It is becoming increasingly difficult to get a formal job these days and some college girls have resorted to transacting sex as an easier means of earning income, more or less because the work does not involve much sweat and toil.
There are many girls with my similar kind of predicament in colleges; some have both parents but they cannot afford to meet all required needs. For some, lack of opportunity for employment regrettably leaves the luring tendencies of older rich men the only available option for survival.
Many female students have been affected in different and varied ways. Although identified challenges range from social-economic to policy and institutional based, sexual harassment even by male lecturers, cyber bullying among others.
Sexual harassment in tertiary institutions is one of the most prevalent challenges for girls in college as they are pressured to transact sexual favours with their lecturers for high marks.
Girls end up succumbing to this kind of pressure as they fear that they will be failed if they do not give their lecturers sexual favours. Another challenge that girls face in this scenario is that they do not know how to report such a case and some may even be afraid to speak out when faced with such a situation. These and other challenges call for urgent redress at institutional and government levels if gender equality and women empowerment is to be effectively realised.
The current economic situation is challenging. Basic necessities are becoming hard to reach for students, the girl child being the worst affected.
Financial burdens on families may force families to select which of their children to attend school, in most cases being the male child. This has exposed many to vices such as sexual exploitation by staffers, other well to do male students who prey on these vulnerable girls.
Evidence of this is seen in the statistics given by Female Students Network Trust to the Zimbabwe Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Women’s Affairs, Gender and Community Development in 2017 that 74% of females in tertiary institutions have experienced sexual harassment by male staff on campuses nationwide.
Institutions have the responsibility to ensure safe-spaces for students at all times to reach their academic and professional goals. Educating students, lecturers, management and staff on what constitutes sexual harassment, and set up proper reporting procedures on sexual exploitation, harassment and abuse are key.
It is important too to ensure reporting procedures give students and whistle-blowers the assurance that there will be no victimisation should they make reports about incidents. Of equal importance is to empower victims and advocates sharing their stories and becoming agents of change as prevention is always better than cure.
Nelson Mandela once mentioned how education being the most powerful weapon, can be used to change the world around us equipping us for better social, economic and political transformation.
Higher and tertiary education is booming however, and so are the challenges that we continue to face daily with little hope for change. College life can exist to reinforce the inequalities and injustices that it should instead help avert.
Not only are there unaffordable residence facilities but also very limited accommodation space in most university institutions. Students at some institutions are complaining of living space and how accommodation has become expensive to the extent that some female students are resorting to living with boys, or seeking out ‘blessers’ (older men with fat wallets) to make ends meet.
Challenges pertaining to sexual harassment and cyber bullying emanate from the institutions, lecturers and the students themselves. As much as most of the challenges go beyond the student, the challenge is that college life attracts a lot of peer pressure for the girl child in an effort to ‘fit in’. Peer pressure and the effort to keep up appearances has led to many female students bending backwards to try and live the expensive life they cannot afford.
However, it is important to be real and accept what you can and cannot afford. This tends to set a bad tone and gives ammunition to critics. As female students it is crucial how one should cope under such circumstances and avoid the kind of behaviours such as selling sex, drug and alcohol abuse that not only perpetuates immorality but can also bring about unwanted negative consequences that perpetuates dependency and thwart our very own potential to be self-reliant. Apart from these negative results such decisions are detrimental health wise as they may lead to transmission of HIV and STIs and may compromise one’s future in every way.
There is also the challenge of inadequate and unsafe education infrastructure including sanitation.
Lack of water in the toilets is a problem as females require water in those facilities for menstrual hygiene purposes. This, exacerbated by the high cost of sanitary wear continues to impact negatively on female students. Specific strategies should include the provision of a safe, friendly and secure learning and teaching environment.
More should be done on teaching of lifeskills and retooling of teachers for gendersensitive pedagogy. Investing in students is lacking in Zimbabwe creating many barriers. There is need to curb gender discrimination through addressing the situation of fewer female lecturers.
Increasing the number of female teachers has a positive impact on girls’ education, according to UNESCO.
Another approach to challenge negative male cultural practices is through training men and boys on positive masculinities, creation of sustainable dialogue through advocacy, strengthening partnerships of civil society organisations to implement youth and male participation in the gender discourse.
If a nation is to develop, empowerment of women and girls is critical in the overall achievement for a sustainable economic reconstruction and social reform. Special interest should be paid to the education of women so as to realise their potentials for selfactualisation.
Further interest should also be made in making sanitary wear affordable for women as girls are at a disadvantage due to menstrual health as some miss school and great opportunities because they are not facilitated to manage their menstruation.
*Ivy Shelly Begede is from the Young Women Christian Association Zimbabwe