Honourable Speaker
Honourable Members
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Honourable members,
It is a distinct honour for me to address this august House on the occasion of International Women’s Day which is this year celebrated under the fitting theme of "Equal access to education, training and science and technology: Pathway to decent work for women".
Moving from what the preceding speakers have said, one thing is very clear, at home and abroad, the question of gender equality and emancipation of women remains unresolved and therefore begs serious attention.
Everywhere in the world, as Gender Links has rightly pointed out: “There is an informal and hidden economy made up mostly of women”.
For instance, there is an unpaid care economy in which many women do most of thework of maintaining the labour force and keeping the social fabric in good order (Gender Links).
Patriarchal power has kept many of the world’s women dominantly outside the mainstream of economic life while relegating others to minor and junior roles in the economy.
It is this untenable state of affairs that has prompted former Chilean President and inaugural Executive Director of UN (United Nations) Women, Michelle Bachelet, to say during the UN Women Launch Celebration in February (2011): “The neglect of women’s rights means the social and economic potential of half the population is underused. In order to tap this potential, we must open up spaces for women in political leadership, in science and technology.”
It is in this context that as we celebrate heroic struggles of women of the world, we must also reflect on the global pathway we seek in building a new African and global agenda in which decent work for women would become a reality. Tapping into the untapped resources of women is therefore not only the right thing to do; it is a political and economic imperative.
Over the years, the unequal power relations of male-dominated societies have relegated women to this “hidden economy”; thus preventing women from fully making a meaningful and vital contribution to human development and economic growth. It is this that has given rise to the decision to launch International Women’s Day, 100 years ago, better to expose the conditions under which women live and work.
The debate on International Women’s Day is very crucial for women in our country, in Africa and the world. The evils of gender inequality and economic exclusion remain well and alive and so stubborn like a blemish on a white cloth.
In an article celebrating International Women’s Day, Kanya D'Almeida (4 March 2011, ipsnews.net) recalls a milestone on the global path to the attainment of gender equity. I quote: "In 1945, more than half a century ago, the signing of the United Nations Charter in San Francisco wrote women's equality into its canon, creating an indisputable commitment to gender equity in the post-World War global order.”
And in June 1981, the people of this continent adopted the African Charter on Human and People’s Rights which called for “the elimination of every discrimination against women” and for “the protection of the rights of the woman and the child as stipulated in international declarations and conventions”.
As Kanya D'Almeidahas observed, 66 years since the signing of the UN Charter recognizing equal rights of all: “Women continue to struggle, far below the level of their male counterparts, in every single aspect of human society. Only 11 of the 192 heads of state are women; one in three women in the world will experience rape or sexual assault in her lifetime; and while performing two-thirds of the world's work, women own a mere one percent of the means of production.”
Challenges facing women globally include: occupational segregation; the gender wage gap; joblessness; abject poverty; gender-based violence; underrepresentation in political and economic decision-making processes and racism.
Clearly, this state of affairs has necessitated, rightly so, the need for more concerted effort better to advance the agenda of gender equity and women’s empowerment. All is not lost. We have cause to celebrate the great strides so far made in the battle for gender rights.
During this centennial of International Women’s Day, we must celebrate ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in their communities.It is also a time to reflect on progress made for women’s rights and to call for change (unwomen.org).
We have in many democracies, including South Africa, a progressive legislative framework and UN agreements for the promotion of the rights of women, including the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.
Using South Africa as an example, the country has achieved gender parity in schooling well ahead of the 2015 target set for the Millennium Development Goals. Evidence suggests that more females than males are enrolled in tertiary institutions, with around 56.4% women in 2010.
The country has 44 percent of women representation in the legislature, 43 percent in Cabinet and 40 percent of elected positions at the level of local government. We have an opportunity, in May 2011, to advance gender parity in the local sphere and to lay the ground for the creation of more decent jobs and more opportunities for the advancement of women.
We know that statistics on employment show that more men are employed than women and that men occupy more top management positions than women. South Africa has welcomed the establishment of UN Women by the UN General Assembly, (in July 2010), which must serve as the penultimate body on women’s empowerment and gender equality.
We believe this new agency, UN Women, with the necessary support and cooperation of member states, will help raise the profile of gender and women's issues on a global scale.
UN member states, including South Africa, have a duty to ensure that this UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women works effectively and takes to greater heights the global agenda of gender equity.
This way, in the long run, through focused, strong leadership, we can and must turn the creation of decent work for women into a reality, and thus improve the lives of millions of women and girls throughout the world. This way, we can transform “the unpaid care economy” and “the informal and hidden economy”.
The creation of UN Women, which began its work on January 2011, shows the global commitment to a central focus on the goal of gender equality and emancipation of women. Its five areas of focus are:
- Expanding women’s voice, leadership and participation;
- Ending violence against women;
- Strengthening women’s full participation in conflict resolution and peace processes;
- Enhancing women’s economic empowerment; and
- Ensuring gender priorities are reflected in national plans and budgets, including capacity to support the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) reporting.
Honourable members,
What we really need is gender mainstreaming in every single aspect of human society coupled with accountability and proven commitment we only see in people-centred and non-sexist organisations, such as the ANC, which have undertaken, as a starting-point, to work tirelessly for a 50-50 gender parity. It is a fact, and a first for South Africa, the ANC-led government has affirmed the political and human rights of women.
For South Africa, the centenary of International Women’s Day could not have come at a better time. Coming two months before the Local Government Elections of 18 May 2011, the centenary creates a platform conducive for women to demand equal representation in this sphere of government.
Expanding equal access to education, training, science and technology as part of the international theme, is one way of securing decent work for women. We need to probe what has been achieved at the recent 55th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, at which our country was represented.
Lastly, as we celebrate International Women’s Day we must not lose sight of the need to accelerate progress on our goals of gender equality and emancipation of women. No man shall be free until we have secured a better life for all women!
I thank you.
