By Edinha Masiyiwa
In my 20 years of experience promoting and defending women’s rights, I have observed that many women, including myself, work without resting. It was only recently in December 2023 when I enrolled in a “How Women Lead” fellowship programme that I reflected on how much I have focused on work without paying particular attention to self-care. I am now on treatment for high blood pressure and it was probably a lack of self-care during my 40s that contributed to this development.
In many spaces, I have heard fellow leaders similarly feel unable to take time for self-care. They bemoan the workload on their desks and these women continue to work. They argue that they are driven by passion. It’s not that women do not recognize the importance of self-care. It is the pressures in their lives that make women work and not think about themselves.
Women in non-governmental organisations do not not prioritise self-care because they have tight deadlines and long working hours as well as the people they serve counting on them. For someone to take time to rest when there is a lot of work to do, one might face stigma from others and be labelled as lazy. This is also fueled by our cultural beliefs that women should work very hard to take care of the family.
There is also a lack of awareness of self-care and a lack of resources in organisations to provide self-care. These challenges are increasing due to a decline in funding for women’s organisations as highlighted in the Zimbabwe Women Resource Network Strategic plan 2021-2025. This is also supported by the findings from a study done by AWID in 2019 which revealed that only 1% of gender equality funding goes to women’s organization. The decrease in funding has resulted in multi-tasking, a situation where one person does the work of two or more people, and little time off.
Not prioritizing self-care results in burnout of staff and reduced productivity. Other diseases such as high blood pressure and diabetes might also creep in. When someone does not care for themselves, they might have bad eating habits that affect their physical health. Self-care is about self-awareness and taking steps when one realizes that they are not well. It is important to recognise the different aspects of self-care which are, physical, emotional and spiritual.
The above situation requires that women’s organisations prioritise self-care. Self-care has been defined as an essential leadership practice that helps leaders to balance the challenges of work and personal life, manage stress and show up fully and be present. Self-care helps us deal with stress and help us to achieve health.
The World Health Organisation defines health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. This definition emphasizes emotional and mental well-being, something that is achieved mainly through self-care. Self-care can contribute to the following; empowering individuals and communities to manage their health and well-being, improving primary healthcare (PHC) and contributing to achieving Universal Health Care.
The workplace can be a stressful for leaders and their subordinates. It is important for people in leadership positions to pay attention to self-care and plan for it. Even if it feels hard or selfish to do, people need to create time for their own self-care before planning for others.
I call upon all women leaders to take the concept of self-care seriously in their workplaces. Every person needs to remind themselves that they are a person before an employee. The type of work we do in women’s organisations is stressful in itself. As a leader, you need to plan your work in such a way that you have time to care for yourself. Paying attention to issues of self-care is good for business. It helps to increase productivity at the workplace.
Leaders should ensure self-care programmes are put in place. These could be the actual self-care sessions or awareness-raising sessions. Awareness raising will inform employees to practice self-care. In order to ensure employees practice self care, organisations could consider subsidizing gym fees for their staff, or start walking clubs where members of staff can walk together or provide fruits and snacks for staff. Staff should be encouraged to completely disconnect during breaks.
It is also my call to donors who support gender equality work to increase funding to this sector so that all employees can care for themselves. Funding should allow for organisations budget lines for self since this is a very important part of human resources for organisations. Considering the importance of self-care is critical for every woman who is a leader.