Progress for all women is equal to sustained progress for all - Message by Speaker Baleka Mbete on International Women’s Day
On 8 March, South Africa joins the world and the United Nations to commemorate International Women’s Day, with the theme for 2016 being: “Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality”.
International Women’s Day provides us with an opportunity to celebrate the world’s and our countries’ progress toward ensuring the rights and opportunities of women and girls. We shall also renew and reinvigorate our countries commitments to achieve gender equality.
For the duration of 2016, our country is also proudly commemorating the 60th anniversary of the 1956 historic women’s march to the Union Buildings in Pretoria. The 1956 march by an estimated 20 000 women is significant in that it brought together women from diverse backgrounds - united in their determination to demonstrate and voice their rejection of the unjust pass laws which affected African women. The late Helen Joseph, a veteran of the liberation struggle, recalled the march of 1956:
“I shall never forget what we saw – 20 000 women of all races standing in silence for a full 30 minutes, arms raised high in the clenched fist of the Congress salute…The brilliant colours of African headscarves, the brightness of Indian saris and the emerald green blouses worn by Congress women were woven together by the very darkness of thousands of faces.”
Though the 1956 anti-pass march is the most well-known example of women’s resistance to apartheid, it must be emphasised that it was by no means an isolated incident. History clearly shows that from the very beginning women have been at the forefront of resistance against colonialism and then apartheid in South Africa. In earlier times it was the young Charlotte Maxeke who led the first national demonstration against the 1913 Land Act, which formalised land dispossession in our country.
One of the most important victories of the South African Women’s Movement has been the clear recognition in our Constitution that women’s rights are human rights. As a result of the tireless mobilisation of women in our country, there has also been a recognition that gender equality, in addition to being a human right, is critical to achieving sustainable development progress. If women and girls are not able to fully realise their rights and aspirations in all spheres of life, development will be impeded.
South Africa has made legally binding commitments such as the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, The Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Africa Union Agenda 2063, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), amongst others, to respect, protect and fulfil women’s human rights, recognising their intrinsic value as well as the synergies between women’s rights, wider prosperity and an improved quality of life. These key instruments have been instrumental in the progress women have achieved in respect of gender empowerment and gender parity in all areas of life by 2030.
In particular, much of the collective energy and focus of government, supported by civil society has been focussed on the attainment of progressive legislative reform that removed all forms of institutional discriminatory laws in the quest for a free, non- racial and non-sexist society. As a result of the creation of an enabling environment, through legislation and regulation, intended to bring about gender equality, the participation of women in all spheres of society has improved significantly.
The number of women in politics has increased. More women have been elected to public office, for example 41 percent of parliamentarians are women, but we still need to go some way to achieve parity. The representation of women in Cabinet following the 2014 general election stands at 43 percent, with deputy Ministers being at 45.9 percent. At local government level, steady progress has been recorded in the representation of women. Following the 2011 local government elections, the representation of women on local government councils is at 38.4% compared to 28.2% in 2000, and there is great expectation that the representation of women at local government will increase after the local government elections scheduled for later this year.
A 2015 review by the United Nations of pre- and post-transfer poverty rates underscores that South Africa’s social transfers by way of the Child Support Grant, free primary health care, no-fee paying schools, RDP housing and the provision of basic services, namely water and sanitation, has been found to cushion the poor and the destitute from poverty and destitution. In particular, the Child Support Grant, has been found to facilitate women’s access to paid employment.
Notwithstanding the impressive achievements mentioned above, our government’s, frank assessment of our progress over the past 20 years in its 20 Year Review Report and the Report on the Status of Women in the economy, 2014, indicates that despite a plethora of progressive legislation, women have not advanced as rapidly in terms of socio-economic empowerment and gender equality as was expected.
Further, the most current figures from Statistics South Africa (2014) reveals that women continue to bear the brunt of the triple challenges of poverty, unemployment and inequality. In addition, the National Development Plan (NDP) 2030, our developmental blue print, identifies women as the most affected by inequality, poverty and unemployment. This is particularly so in the rural areas and informal settlements.
In this regard, although more women than ever before are participating in the work force, women generally earn less than men and carry a disproportionate burden of unpaid care work, which deprives them of time for valuable pursuits like earning money, gaining new skills and participating in public life. And, while progressive laws have been put in place and exist to protect women from violence, sexual and gender-based violence continue to occur at unacceptably high rates in our country.
In the second decade of our democracy, there is encouraging momentum not only to renew and address the promises of Beijing, CEDAW, the National Development Plan, and the Sustainable Development Goals, amongst others. Our collective action must place us on a pathway towards women’s inclusion, advancement and leadership which are all central elements in the advancement and the broadening of the economy.
As a collective, we must commit that in the next five year, we will enforce the implementation of the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act 4 of 2000 and the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998 by all sectors of society in order to promote equality between women and men in order to reach parity by 2030 as required by the AU Agenda 2063. With respect to the implementation of the basket of equality legislation, Parliament has embarked on an extensive external review to delve much deeper into the tangible impact of policy and the often unintended consequences that legislation bring about. This is done in an endeavour to move us forward faster.
We must commit to monitor and evaluate compliance with the Employment Equity Act by all sectors and use every means at our disposal to ensure compliance where there is deliberate failure to comply with it.
We must also commit that in the next five years we will develop mechanisms to enforce both public and private sectors to implement the Code of Good Practice on equal pay for work of equal value.
We must also ensure that women’s unpaid labour is valued and their contribution is recognised officially. We must ensure that our people are informed and educated in respect of their legal rights.
We must commit to develop a Gender Responsive Planning and Budgeting Framework that will guide and provide norms and standards to national and all provincial and local governments to mainstream women’s empowerment in financial allocation and expenditure.
In the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women as agents of change and leaders in the development processes which shape our lives, we should build a more inclusive, sustainable and resilient world.
As we celebrate International Women’s Day and commemorate the 60th anniversary of the women’s march in 1956, join me in supporting the call to fulfil the promises made in 1956 and in Beijing 22 years ago to realise a world and a country in which every woman and girl has the opportunity to fulfil her potential and enjoy equal rights and status.
Progress for all women is equal to sustained progress for All!
