South Africa commemorated its 20th Human Rights Day on Friday. But it was not just another public holiday. This year’s Government Review Report released by President Jacob Zuma recently, gives all South Africans a chance to assess the state of our human rights culture in the 20 years since we achieved freedom.
At the launch Zuma said the report was packed with facts and figures. But the question at the top of every citizen’s mind remains whether South Africa does indeed have a “good story” to tell.
One good story is the strides made in women empowerment and gender equality, highlighted in the Review Report. International Women’s Day having been celebrated last week makes it an ideal time to have this discussion since recent scientific reports show South Africa’s progress on gender equality is evident regionally and internationally.
For example, the 2012 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Social Institutions and Gender Index ranked South Africa 4th out of 87 countries on gender equality. And on the 2012 SADC Gender Development Index, South Africa was ranked second with a score only slightly lower than that of top performer Seychelles.
The noble journey towards women empowerment and gender equality, the report states, started with the new democratic government’s ratification of the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. This led to a review of all legislation, policies and programmes directed at improving the status of women.
Setting up the Office on the Status of Women in 1997 was a major step towards building institutional machinery to promote gender equality. The Commission of Gender Equality – with a mandate to monitor, evaluate, research, investigate complaints and conduct public awareness and education campaigns on women’s rights and gender equality – was also a significant step.
Other key developments include the adoption of the SA National Policy Framework for Women Empowerment and Gender Equality – which provided for the establishment of the National Gender Machinery (NGM), a network of co-ordinated structures in and outside of government aimed at dismantling systematic gender inequalities and promoting equality between men and women.
Since the adoption of the NGM model there have been several developments in the operations of government and societal behaviour, including the call for a dedicated women’s ministry. This led to Zuma appointing a Minister of Women, Children and People living with Disabilities in 2009. At the same time, the government had legislated measures to drive the agenda towards women empowerment and gender equity.
The Employment Equity Act of 1998 and the Broad Based Empowerment Act of 2003 are key milestones to empower women. The Employment Equity Act was passed, acknowledging that to build an economy meeting the needs of all its citizens it was important that it unleashed the full potential of all people, including women.
Last year’s Broad-based Black Empowerment Amendment Bill and the Women Empowerment Gender Equality Bill are more steps taken in the right direction.
Under the Women Empowerment Gender Equality law, government departments and companies will be required to fill a minimum of 50 percent of all senior and top management positions with women. The law will also allow the state to sue or imprison executive heads who act contrary to this.
Broadly, the legislation seeks to strengthen existing laws to boost women empowerment and gender equality. It also provides for bodies to develop and implement plans and measures to ensure access to education for all.
This legislation is aimed at redressing the situation of women being more than half of the world’s population but remaining under-represented in private and public office.
Despite progressive policies in some areas, South Africa is no different.
However, the highlighted initiatives confirm that South Africa does have a good story to tell in terms of positive steps taken towards building a new democratic society in the past 20 years – especially when it comes to women empowerment and gender equality.
Some of these positive steps can be seen in the representation in public office. In 1994 South Africa was ranked no 141 in the world when it came to the percentage of legislative seats held by women. After the ANC introduced a 30 percent quota for female candidates, South Africa jumped to the 13th place in 2004 – with 32.8 percent of seats in the National Assembly occupied by women.
Last year’s Women in Parliament World Inter-Parliamentary Report observes that with 42.3 percent of seats in its National Assembly held by women, South Africa ranked 8th out of 189 countries. The global trend has been that even when elected as ministers women tend to hold lesser-valued cabinet ministries – often referred to as “soft ministries” – like Education and Health. The tendency is that women rarely hold cabinet positions associated with traditional notions of masculinity like Finance and Defence.
But South Africa has bucked the trend by having two women defence ministers (Lindiwe Sisulu and her successor Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula), two women deputy presidents (Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka and Baleka Mbete) and a woman minister of mining (Susan Shabangu) in charge of a sector that remains the lifeblood of the economy. We’ve also had women heading the Ministry for International Relations since 1999. Increasing women participation in politics is important because female representatives – given their nature as primary care-givers – not only advance women’s rights but also those of children.
Increasing women representation in any sphere is an arduous venture given the factors that continue to militate against such noble ventures.
Gender inequality in families, inequitable division of labour in households, and attitudes about gender roles are some of the historical factors that continue to subjugate women – and serve to limit their representation in all spheres of life.
It is a laudable what South Africa has achieved in its quest for women empowerment and gender equity despite mammoth challenges.
But legislation can only go so far in redressing inequalities. Each citizen needs to play their part to support the developmental rights of girl children and women.
Only when action meets theory can society achieve its transformational objectives.
* Maponya is the chairwoman of Brand South Africa