Jo-Ansie van Wyk

Department of Political Sciences, University of South Africa (UNISA), Pretoria, South Africa

vwykjak@unisa.ac.za

Presentation to the African Women in Politics & Leadership conference, 9-10 December 2009, Sandton Convention Centre, Sandton (Johannesburg), South Africa

African women in politics: challenges and opportunities

Focus areas

• Political status of the African woman • Women in post apartheid democratic South

Africa • Support for women in politics • Challenges faced by women politicians

Recent events • Uganda: Women rights' activists took to the streets of Kampala

demonstrating against domestic violence in society • Namibia: Following the November 2009 elections, just 16 out of 72

MP's are female. That's 22 percent, significantly down on the previous National Assembly, and a long way from the SADC target of 50 percent by 2015.

• South Africa: 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children

• Sudan: A Sudanese teenage girl has sought protection from the Uganda Police to avoid forceful marriage to a senior army officer in the Sudanese Peoples Liberation Army

Recent events (cont.) • Zambia: Zambian Defence Forces’s efforts mainstreaming gender equity

agenda in the forces • SADC: SADC defence forces extra-ordinary meeting of the personnel

workshop with the theme ‘Advancing Gender Equity in the SADC Defence Forces’

• Uganda: A Bill outlawing female genital mutilation is ready to be presented to Parliament for the second reading

Reasons for women’s increased political participation in Africa

Reasons for women’s increased political participation in Africa

• Move towards multi-party democracy in

Africa • Increased educational opportunities • Availability of donor funds • Beijing Consensus: International women’s

movement

Political status of women in Africa

Determinants of women’s political status

• Political stability in country • Family code • Physical integrity • Ownership • Political participation • Civil liberties

The state in Africa

Pre-colonial: Empires & kingdoms Colonial: Berlin Conference & the ‘Great

Transplant’ The Uhuru state: Colonial withdrawal Post Uhuru state: Coups, patronage (domestic &

international) Contemporary state: various degrees of

institutional failure

Consequences of state failure/collapse

Emergence of new actors: non-state (rebels, MNCs,

PMCs, militia) New forms of authority & leadership: cui bono? Controlled territories & restricted territories State: no revenue, no control, no tax Regional impact: Internally-displaced People (IDPs)

& Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Increased human insecurity

Definition of human security

• Freedom from want (UNDP) • Freedom from fear • Freedom from hazard (vulnerability) • Freedom to live with dignity (Kofi Annan)

Africa & the need for gender-

based security

Lack of fundamental freedoms Institutional failure on state level Wars & conflicts

Political status of African women

Various ways to measure • UN Development Report’s Indices • Other indices

Gender Empowerment Index (GEM)

Dimension Political participation & decision-making

Economic participation & decision-making

Power over economic resources

Indicator Female & male MPs Female decision-makers in government & business

Female income

Gender-related Development Index (GDI)

Dimension Long & healthy life

Knowledge Standard of living

Indicator Female & male life expectancy at birth

Female & male literacy rates

Female & male estimated income

Dimension of Index

Female & male life expectancy

Female & male education

Female & male actual income

Gender Development Index (GDI) ranks for Africa (UNDP, 2009) www.undp.org

1st Australia 2nd Norway 17th UK

105th Botswana 120th Madagascar 130th Djibouti

54th Libya 108th Namibia 121st Kenya 134th Malawi

84th Tunisia 109th South Africa 125th Tanzania 136th Zambia

85th Gabon 110th Sao Tome & Principe

126th Ghana 138th Eritrea

88th Algeria 111th Morocco 127th Sudan 139th Rwanda

101st Cape Verde 117th Comoros 128th Mauritania 150th Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

102nd Equatorial Guinea

118th Swaziland 129th Cameroon 155th Niger

Gender Empowerment Index (GDI) ranks for Africa (UNDP, 2009) www.undp.org

1st Sweden 2nd Norway 12th Canada

71st Mauritius

26th South Africa 85th Ethiopia

43rd Namibia 92nd Zambia

49th Uganda 97th Madagascar

50th Lesotho 104th Morocco

65th Botswana 105th Algeria

69th Tanzania 107th Egypt

Mo Ibrahim Index of Governance Quality in Africa (2009) www.moibrahimfoundation.org

1st Mauritius 6th Namibia

2nd Cape Verde 7th Ghana

3rd Seychelles 8th Tunisia

4th Botswana 9th Lesotho

5th South Africa 10th Sao Tome & Principe

AU response to status of women

Normative: • Various Protocols, Agreements etc • AU Peace & Security Council Protocol on the

Rights of Women • Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa

(SDGEA) • AU’s Women, Gender and Development

Directorate

Supporting the woman politician in South Africa

South African Government

South African government

Gender & women empowerment

Example of gender & women empowerment in South Africa

• Isivande Women's Fund • South African Women Entrepreneurs'

Network (SAWEN) • Technology for Women in Business

(TWIB)

Zuma Administration (Examples)

• Ministry of Women,

Youth, Children and People with Disabilities

• Women’s Day • Commission on Gender

Equality

Minister of Women, Children and Persons with Disabilities, Noluthando Mayende-Sibiya.

SADC Protocol on Gender and Development

• Signed in August 2008 in Johannesburg, South Africa

• Legally binding agreement compelling SADC Member States to hasten efforts towards gender equity in the region.

• Calls for far reaching changes and includes timelines for these goals.

• Included in these goals: the inclusion of gender equality and equity in National Constitutions, the repeal of all discriminatory laws, and work towards the continental goal of fifty percent women in political and decision making positions by 2015

SADC Protocol on Gender and Development (cont.)

• Including regional goals in terms of constitutional and legal rights, governance, education and training, productive resources and employment, gender based violence, health and HIV and AIDS, peace building and conflict resolution and the media

• Implementation monitored through reports by the Executive Secretary of SADC to the Heads of State and Government every two years

• To be transformed into national plans of action for implementation as SADC Member States begin the process of ratification

The Office on the Status of Women (OSW)

Mandate: To ensure that the South African government lives

up to its constitutional, political and international commitments by translating these into measurable and meaningful programmes, thereby making a non-sexist society a reality.

The Office on the Status of Women (OSW)

Core Functions: • To advance a national policy on women's empowerment and gender equality • To prioritise key concerns and initiate policy and action-oriented research

relevant to gender mainstreaming • To advise and brief the President, the Deputy President and the Minister in

The Presidency on all matters pertaining to the empowerment of women • To liaise between NGOs dealing with women's and gender issues and The

Presidency • To liaise between international bodies (e.g. United Nations) and The

Presidency

The Office on the Status of Women (OSW)

Core Functions (cont.):

• To work with Ministries and departments, provinces and all publicly funded bodies in mainstreaming gender in policies, practices and programmes

• To develop key indicators for measuring the national progression towards gender equality

• To arrange for training in gender analysis and gender sensitisation • To act as a catalyst for Affirmative Action with respect to gender equality • To initiate and promote cross-sectoral action on cross-cutting issues such as the girl

child, violence against women and HIV and Aids • To facilitate awareness-raising and confidence-building among women at all levels • To provide a co-ordination framework for the effective implementation of the gender

programme at the national, provincial and local government levels • To consult and liaise with civil society and Parliament.

Challenges faced by women politicians

General status of women in country • Patriarchy • Gender-based violence • Conflict & war • Class and social status

Challenges faced by women politicians

Challenges faced by women politicians

• Access to resources • Education • Lack of political connections & political

experience • Cultural perceptions about women’s role (at

home etc) • Cultural practices • Health issues

Challenges faced by women politicians

• Political party culture • Civic culture • Sexual harassment • Minority • Motherhood • Family responsibilities • Sexual orientation • Gender discrimination

SOCIAL INSTITUTIONS

Family Code Civil Liberties Physical Integrity Ownership Rights

Parental Authority

Inheritance

Early marriage (w

omen)

Polygamy acceptance / legality

Freedom of m

ovement

Dress code in public

Violence against w

omen / Legal

Indicator

Female G

enital Mutilation

Son Preference W

omen's access to land

Wom

en's access to bank loans

Wom

en's access to property other than land

Gender-based violence

Forms of violence against women

• Acid throwing • Forced marriages • Rape in marriage & act of war • FGM • So-called honour crimes • Femicide • Forced sterilisation and/or pregnancy

Measures to counter violence against women

• Legal frameworks: Constitutional provisions, specialised courts, employment equity

• Institutional mechanisms: Legislation, Gender Offices, Ministerial Portfolios

• Preventive measures & training: education, raising awareness, curricula

• Research & date: database • Victim & survivor empowerment

2nd MEETING OF AU

MINISTERS RESPONSIBLE FOR WOMEN AFFAIRS &

GENDER BANJUL, THE GAMBIA 13-14 NOVEMBER 2009

Banjul • Follows on AU Assembly‘s declaration of 2010-2020

as the African Women’s Decade • The Banjul Conference: 8th African Regional

Conference (Beijing +15) • Reviewed the implementation of the Beijing and Dakar

Platforms for Action • Adopted of the Feasibility Study on the African

Women’s Trust Fund • Adopted of the AU Gender Action Plan

Let us honour some of those who paved the way…

ZAUDITU

Empress of Ethiopia (1917-1930)

DZELIWE SHONGWE Queen Regent of Swaziland

(1982-1983)

ELIZABETH DOMITIEN First African female Prime

Minister (1975-1976)

Central African Republic

WANDERA SPECIOZA KAZIBWE

First African female Vice President

(1994) Uganda

Thank you