In Women’s Month we pay tribute to the SA women from all walks of life who marched to the Union Buildings fighting for our freedom. In addition, we must take stock and measure the progress of initiatives in place to empower women and equalise the playing field.
Gender-based violence (GBV) remains a deep-rooted problem that further reinforces gender inequality. When police minister Bheki Cele presented the quarterly crime statistics for the fourth quarter (January to March 2022), they pointed to an alarmingly sharp increase in the number of people, particularly women and children, who were murdered and raped.
In the first three months of the year, at least 10,818 cases of rape were reported, an increase of 13.7% over the same period last year. The true number is likely much higher as countless studies have highlighted that many cases are not reported or when they are reported cases are simply not opened.
Little to no progress is being made in terms of gender equality and GBV is out of control. The recent brutal gang rape of eight young women in West Village close to Krugersdorp is a stark reminder that women are under siege. At a media briefing of the crime stats, Cele acknowledged that January, February and March were “especially brutal for women and children”. The minister must not be aware that this is the lived experience of many women who live in constant fear that they may be next.
Women, who bear the brunt of poverty, still battle for inclusion in the economy. The traditional reasons that result in their exclusion, such as childcare or elder care, also prohibit them from participating in economic activities that allow them to earn an income.
In addition, girls in need still miss school days or use unhealthy materials during their menstruation. The Gauteng department of social development has consistently failed to meet its target to distribute dignity packs to pupils across the province.
According to the department’s fourth quarterly report for the 2021/2022 financial year, only 636,119 dignity packs were distributed compared to the target of 2.1-million.
This is unacceptable and indicates that most pupils in dire need of dignity packs miss valuable school time, which ultimately affects their future trajectory. The DA has been at the forefront of fighting for the rights of young girls to access dignity packs.
The department needs to ensure that co-operatives, led by women and the youth, have the necessary support to ensure these individuals are self-reliant and able to sustain themselves. Co-operatives need to become proper businesses that are incubated.
The department needs to contract more co-operatives to manufacture school uniforms and dignity packs. These initiatives have the potential to empower women so they can lift themselves out of poverty.
According to Stats SA’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey, a woman is more likely to be without a job than a man, with black African women being the most vulnerable with an unemployment rate of 40.6% in Q1:2022. This is higher than the national average for women at 36.4% and the country’s overall unemployment rate of 34.5%.
Men are more likely to be in paid employment than women regardless of race, while women are more likely than men to be doing unpaid work.
Sadly, research indicates that when women are in employment or running a business, children are more likely to have food and to stay in school.
There is an inherent need to expand programmes such as the welfare-to-work initiative to reach more unemployed young women dependent on child support grants and empower them with skills to become employed or self-employed. This is particularly critical as food insecurity becomes a problem for more SA women who head up the majority of single-parent households.
According to Stats SA’s General Household Survey 2021, 23.6% of 18-million households were single-parent households. According to the report, the female population was more likely to be affected by moderate to severe food insecurity and severe food insecurity than their male counterparts.
The DA will fight to ensure that key departments in the Gauteng provincial government tasked with addressing these inequalities should ensure that women, from an early age, are not only empowered but well placed to contribute positively to the state of the country: to ensure that no matter the circumstances of a girl-child’s birth or those they grow up in, they can still achieve their individual true potential.
• Nt’sekhe MPL, DA Gauteng shadow MEC for social development
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