South Africa is currently celebrating women’s month. On the 9th of August 1956, women marched to the Union Buildings to protest against carrying ‘passes’ and the oppressive laws that prevailed under the apartheid order. The journey of women in their quest for freedom and equality, since then, has been long and the rights enshrined in our constitution, hard won.
Despite many persistent challenges, South Africa has made great strides in implementing its gender mainstreaming policies and programmes. A new Ministry of Women, Children and People with Disability has been created to consolidate government’s activities to promote the development of women. The representation of women in decision-making structures, a key priority area long identified by women for furthering gender equality, is taken seriously. In this regard, we have seen the representation of women in parliament increase from 33% to 45% after the national democratic election of April 2009.
Source: Institute for Security Studies
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