Introduction
This year we mark the Centenary of International Women’s Day, since its launch, in 1911, in Europe.The United Nation’s chosen theme for celebrating the Centenary of the International Women’s Day this year is entitled,“Equal access to Education, Training and Science and Technology: Pathway to decent work for women”. A powerful theme indeed as education leads to the emancipation and empowerment of women.
In maximising the value on these centenary reflections on women’s gains and challenges, the United States President Barack Obama, officially declared the entire month of March as Women’s History Month, with the intention to focus on the contribution of women to the history of humankind and to access their challenges in the 21st century.
The Government of South Africa has given a moral and political high ground to the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. As a result, our women were represented in Beijing where a Platform for Action was developed in 1995. We are affiliated to the UN Commission on the Status of Women. South Africa is a signatory to the Convention on the Elimination on all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).
We have institutionalised the gender mainstreaming machinery, with a Ministry for Women, Children and Persons living with Disabilities at the top. We have adopted the 50/ 50 gender equality at all levels of decision making.
The African Union shares the same principle. This has been extended to the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, through the adoption of the Gender Protocol, for gender equality and the commitment to not less than 50% quota for women in all decision-making structures in SADC countries by 2015. The Decade of the African Women (2010-2020), will further empower us to consolidate the African Women agenda across the continent.
This International Women’s Day debate is taking place soon after our women’s participation at the 55th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women, which, was held at the United Nations (UN), in New York, last week. One of the highlights of this year’s Session was the launch of the UN Women, the United Nations entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of women, a global champion for women and girls that was established to accelerate progress on meeting women’s needs worldwide.
The Executive Director of this special division is Ms Michelle Bachelet, whose position is under the Secretary General of the United Nation HE Mr Ban Ki-moon.
During her acceptance speech, Michelle emphasised her commitment to chart a clear path and provide leadership in order to ensure the coordination and coherence of gender equality and women empowerment issues within all the divisions of the UN. As of today, therefore, it is encouraging to know that, as the world celebrates the centenary of the International Women’s Day, women, have a backing right at the UN. Our struggles are global struggles.
Women’s struggles
Women worldwide have for decades struggled for their emancipation from oppression and marginalisation, meaning social ills emanating from patriarchy. The women of South Africa for instance, fought against colonisation and Apartheid, side by side their male counterparts. As far back as 1913, they articulated the concerns of women and specifically the importance of mobilising women and the promotion of unity as a pre-requisite for their struggles. Women have had to fight for recognition, as full members with voting rights, even within revolutionary liberation movements, like the African National Congress, in its formative years.
Women of South Africa have had to fight for land rights, rising food prices and rejected instruments of oppression and exclusion like the Apartheid Laws. Their defining moment was in 1956, when they organised women nationally, prepared a memorandum, rejecting the Pass- Laws and 20,000 women marched to the Union Building to deliver it to the then Prime Minister, Mr JG Strijdom.
International women’s acts of courage
Women have over years made significant gains. It is important to mention a few;
- Charlotte Maxeke – was never frustrated or discouraged by the limitations imposed upon her by the Apartheid Government. Looking at the theme of this year’s celebrations, it is only relevant that we remember the struggles this great woman went through in the fight for her personal education, Mam Maxeke is believed to be the first South African women to earn a bachelor’s degree in Science. She laid the foundation and opened the doors to education for women in our society today, especially in male dominated fields such as Science and Technology. We cannot downplay her role as a political and women’s rights activist. As I am participating in this debate as a Deputy Minister, I am standing on the shoulders of women like Mme Charlotte. Charlotte Maxeke’s correspondence with Rev. M Mokone of the Ethiopian church in Pretoria, while she was studying in the US, contributed to the founding of the AME church in South Africa in 1896. On her return to South Africa she founded the Wilberforce Institute with her Husband Rev. Marshall Maxeke, which later became one of the leading Transvaal High Schools for Africans. In 1930 Maxeke made a powerful address at the University of Fort Hare which is still relevant today.She said, “if you definitely and earnestly set out to lift women and children up in the social life of the bantu, you will find the men will benefit, and thus the whole community both white and black.” The University of the Free State in introducing the Free State Charlotte Maxeke Annual Memorial Lecture series suggested that, “her most profound legacy is her enormous contribution to women’s empowerment in the home and in society at large”.
- Wangari Muta Maathai – Kenyan environmental and political activist. Maathai was educated in the United States as well as in Kenya. In the 1970’s she founded the Green Belt Movement, an environmental non-governmental organisation focusing on the planting of trees, environmental conservation and women’s rights. Dr Maathai’s project was opposed by the Kenyan Government during Daniel Arap Moi’s rule, and her demonstrations to protect the forest were often met with violent resistance which eventually led to her imprisonment.
She said, “ the Government thinks that by threatening me and bashing me they can silence me,” she continued, “but I have an elephants skin and somebody must raise their voice.”
In 2004 she became the first African women to receive the Nobel Peace Prize for her contribution to sustainable development, democracy and peace.
- Ellen Johnson Sirleaf – popularly known as the iron lady, the first elected female president in Africa in 2006. Her road to the top was marred by hostility from the then president Samuel Doe. In her attempts to provide proper leadership and liberate her people, she endured, exile, house arrest and imprisonment, but she never gave in to the system. Ellen is a role model to all women, we must learn from her determination, strength, and persistence, as these elements are key to tackling the struggles of today. Since taking over a war torn country, she has shown courage by establishing the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, enforced the culture of human rights and promoted the principles and values of democracy and strengthened the rule of law. Her leadership has given confidence to investors and tourists.
- Mary Robinson - The first female president in Ireland and the former United Nations Commissioner for human rights – Mary is an academic andchampion for women’s rights,she was one of three members ofSeanad Eireann. Her outstanding service to women was her campaigns on a wide range of liberal issues including the rights of women to sit on juries, the then requirement that all women upon marriage resign from the civil service, and the right to the legal availability of contraception. The campaign won her many enemies and she was constantly harassed.
- Rosa Parks – Rosa became popular after she defied a bus drivers order, to move from her front seat for a white passenger, Rosa’s act sparked the famous Montgomery Bus boycott. Rosa was discriminated against for her human rights demand and she even lost her job. Rosa’s freedom fights showcased to the rest of the world the plight of the African American people.
Much as I have said a lot about women’s gains internationally, it is important to be honest and frank about our challenges.
Outstanding challenges
1. Poverty
According to the People’s Movement for Human Rights, ´women’s poverty results in widespread violations of their human rights. When a woman does not have a decent house, food, or healthcare, her right to development is being violated. When she lives in an unsafe and unhealthy environment or lacks access to clean water, her dignity is undermined.
This was also discussed during the 55th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women of 2011. According to the statistics given by the UN Women:
- Women perform 66% of the world’s work, produce 50% of the food, but earn 10% of the income and own 1% of the property.
- If the average distance to the moon is 394,400 km, South African women together walk the equivalent of a trip to the moon and back 16 times a day to supply their households with water.
- In the Arab states, only 28 percent of women participate in the workforce
- Women’s nominal wages are 17% lower than men’s
2.Gender based violence
There are many factors that are conducive to gender based violence such as patriarchy and power relations emanating from the ideology of patriarchy.
Our government has come up with relevant pieces of legislations, so as to reinforce our commitment to no violence against women and girls. Despite all our efforts, South Africa continues to experience high levels of different forms of gender based violence, especially sexual assaults, domestic violence and the murders of women and girl children.
On my recent visit to Kenya, at the coordination by Women’s Justice and Empowerment Initiative, East African, women from different sectors in the region, joined together to share experiences and best practices to fight against this immoral, inhumane act.
There is a general consensus that patriarchy plays a major role in promoting gender based violence. Consequently, one of our outstanding challenges in the struggles for social cohesion in society, remains sustained societal education and on power relations between men and women. As we are all aware, patriarchal practices and attitudes result in the prevalence of harmful traditional practices against women and girls.
Ukuthwala and many other harmful cultural practices undermine the dignity and respect of the girl child. Questions can be raised as to how can society turn a blind eye on inflicted pain and suffering with long term consequences? How does an old man find a 13 year old girl attractive when she could be his daughter or grand-daughter? What has happened to our value of Ubuntu?
3. Women in war-torn countries
On this day, the world should also remember the plight of women in conflict zones such as the Ivory Coast and Afghanistan. It is indeed true that women are the worst affected victims in times of war as they are exposed to all forms of violence. Women in certain parts of the Middle East and Africa continue to suffer as political violence escalates at the expense of human development. It is a known fact that progress cannot be achieved in wartime as resources are often geared towards the war effort and the development of human capital takes a back seat.
Economy driving sectors
South Africa has positioned itself as a player not only in the Agrarian Economy, but also in knowledge driven economies.
As a preamble to our discussion on skills development we have to mention briefly, our current economy driving sectors;
- Infrastructure development – data released by statistics South Africa, 2010, indicates that in construction, meaning, amongst others, the construction of roads and rails networks, the industry is grossly dominated by men. Males make up to 91% whilst females occupy 9%. Out of the 9%, black women beneficiaries are at the bottom end. Government has set aside R800 billion for infrastructure development, and the big question is what percentage of the allocated amount will in monetary terms directly benefit women.
- Green economy - As we are all aware the world is moving towards a Green Economy. During the recent budget vote, Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, indicated that R800 million has been set aside over the next three years for initiatives in this regard.We should do everything possible to ensure that as many women as possible, including those in rural and farming communities, access the R800 million budget, through agricultural projects, and all other alternative forms of renewable energy, such as the installation of solar panels, wind turbines, and the use of bio-fuels.
- Information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure - Government has allocated R450 million to the Department of Communications to develop a broadband implementation strategy and deliver broadband infrastructure and services in underserviced areas. Women need to identify and nurture ICT innovations from inception to commercialisation. There are opportunities for infrastructure development in broadcasting, telecommunications, e-business, radio and satellite services.
- Business process outsourcing (BPO) – The Contact centre and Business Process Outsourcing industry has enjoyed unprecedented growth in recent years. Government has recognised BPOs as one of the top three priority sectors in the Industrial Policy Action Plan (IPAP). As women leaders, we have to ensure that women access opportunities for job placements and identify other industries which may require BPO services and establish them.
- Manufacturing – Government has identified manufacturing as labour intensive and an excellent source of job creation.For the current budget vote, the Minister of Finance allocated an amount of R20-billion which is to be used for tax allowances and tax breaks. The allocated funds would promote investments, expansions and upgrades in South Africa's manufacturing sector. Provinces such as the Northern Cape are in the history books for diamond mining, yet only a small margin of women in this country, if any, can account for crafting the diamonds encrusted in the rings and jewellery you are wearing today.
Education & skills – key drivers to the liberation and empowerment of women
Education is key to women’s liberation and economic empowerment.
Like South African women of 1956, we have to ensure that women are not left behind in the skills development revolution, as brought about by the creation of the Department of Higher Education and Training, in 2009. In our resolve, we have to ensure that our empowerment policies are aggressively biased in favour of rural women.
I would like to remind you of the words of President Jacob Zuma during his State of the Nation Address in 2010, when he said, “We need to invest in our youth to ensure a skilled and capable workforce to support growth and job creation”. Therefore the Department’s Mandate is to:
- Establish credible institutional mechanism for skills planning,
- Increase access to programmes leading to intermediate and high level learning.
- Increase access to occupationally-directed programmes in needed areas, thereby expanding the availability of intermediate level skills.(special focus on artisan skills)
- Increase access to high-level occupationally directed programmes in needed areas
- Enhance research development and innovation in human capital for a growing knowledge economy.
The Department of Higher Education and Training got a boost from the budget of 2011:
- Over R20 billion has been allocated to sector education & training authorities (SETAs)
- R5 billion to the National Skills Fund (NSFAS)
- Further education and training (FET) colleges have been allocated R14 billion
The allocated budget is for creating a skills development pipeline, starting at a community level, through the creation of industrial parks to the multiplication of artisans. These skills are aimed at meeting the national target on job creation recently announced by President Jacob Zuma.
The budget has made a breakthrough in the history of this country by ensuring that all needy students in our FET colleges are fully paid for. We are in the process of reviving teacher training colleges, so as to increase the number of suitably qualified educators who will become a critical force in producing students who will be competitive in the workplace
Our specialised colleges like agricultural and engineering colleges will be strengthened so as to grow the number of students who could be economically active in those sectors.
We also have to support the development of research skills for the development agenda and science and technology in general.
It is my wish and hope, that as an outcome of this debate, we come up with clear proposals of how women could be fast tracked within the skills development pipeline so as to be key players in the economy generating projects discussed above.
Wathinta abafazi wathintha imbokodo,
I thank you
