Transcript Slide 1

Gendered review of country implementation of MDGs
National MDG Summit – Cape Town
30 August 2010
Commission for Gender Equality
Introduction
•The Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) is an independent state
institution established in terms of Section 187 of the Constitution Act
no 108 of 1996.
•The CGE is charged with a broad mandate to promote respect for
gender equality and the protection, development and attainment
of gender equality in South Africa.
•Part of our mandate is to monitor the implementation of the
international and regional conventions acceded to by South Africa,
that impact on gender equality.
•These instruments include the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs), arising from the Millennium Declaration, adopted by the
United Nations in 2000.
MDG gendered review
•Accordingly, the CGE has undertaken the compilation of a report,
to assess from a gender perspective the progress made by South
Africa with regard to MDG commitments.
•While this includes a review of state interventions in pursuit of goal
three of the MDGs, on gender equality and women empowerment,
the report equally assesses the gendered impact of the state’s
progress regarding the remaining seven goals’ targets.
•This presentation provides an overview of our preliminary findings,
drawn from the first draft of our report. The CGE is convening a
consultative dialogue with key government and civil society
stakeholders from relevant sectors to present and deliberate on
findings, and identify gaps and additional challenges, and refine
recommendations.
•The CGE has sought audience with Parliament to present our final
report and recommendations, and will table this at UN deliberations
and parallel events in New York later in September this year.
Structure and approach of report
•In this report, the CGE has followed the African Gender and Development Index
(AGDI) approach, which presents an African-based mechanism for measuring
the status of women as compared to men’s, in the social, economic, and
political spheres
•We have clustered the eight MDGs into these three spheres, and have included
sustainable development and security as two additional clusters.
•Compilation of data was undertaken by a team of CGE researchers, drawing
on government department annual reports, Stats-SA data, research undertaken
by various civil society entities, and direct questionnaires and engagement with
government departments.
•Through this report, The CGE seeks to influence and strengthen the state’s
understanding of the gendered implications of each of the MDGs. Our intention
is to advocate for improved policy formulation, budgeting and programme
implementation to address the gaps and challenges highlighted in this report,
impacting on the quality of life of women and girl children in South Africa.
Key findings - Economic cluster – poverty
•Number of women living in poverty – and number of those considered poor
living in female-headed households – disproportionate to men. Primary causes of
feminisation of poverty linked to absence of economic opportunities and
autonomy; lack of access to economic resources – finance and land; lack of
access to education and support services; participation in decision-making
•Women have high level of income poverty – high rate of unemployment; low
wages caused by low skill and education levels and discrimination (gender wage
gap still prevalent in SA); clustering of women in low-paid jobs; and nonrecognition of women’s time spent on unpaid care work
•Gender discrimination in the workplace rampant – EEC findings on women’s
under-representation, recruitment, promotion, skills training; particular
vulnerabilities of farm and domestic workers with poor monitoring and
enforcement; lack of maternity benefits for self-employed workers;
•Women-headed households were majority beneficiaries of housing subsidies,
yet 90% of land reform beneficiaries were men; positive EPWP job opportunity
and skills creation for women
•Little evidence of gender mainstreaming in planning, budgeting and
implementation of poverty alleviation programmes. Despite existence of gender
policies, lack of sex-disaggregated data on beneficiaries to track impact
Economic cluster - international partnerships
•This goal requires governments, NGOs, and the private sector worldwide to work
together in partnership in order to ensure the complete fulfilment of the MDGs.
•A gendered review of this goal requires states to seek out international
partnerships and development assistance to support the development and
implementation of gender-responsive rights-based policies and programmes,
including accessing technical assistance to improve gender-responsive and sexdisaggregated data.
•It is apparent from the analysis contained in the CGE’s report that this is an area
where the South African government is failing
•Encouraging, many ODA programmes (mostly EU-funded) targeting gender
equality, such as human trafficking, Victim Empowerment Programme, and
stated objectives to see gender mainstreaming through all programmes
•National Treasury has put in place systems to track aid flow into the country, but
does not monitor the outcomes and impact of such aid in relation to gender
equality and women’s empowerment
Key findings – Social Cluster: Education
•Net enrolment - primary education: SA appears close to universal primary
education, but this is determined by enrolment rate. Does not speak to
attendance, which for girls is higher than boys.
•Identified need for tailored policies and interventions – or better implementation
of existing policies – to address primary causes for girls to drop out, including
teenage pregnancy (on the increase in predominantly rural areas and areas of
entrenched poverty), inadequate sanitation facilities at school, lack of access to
safe transport, domestic responsibilities ..
•Implementation of “No fee” schools and school nutrition programmes make a
significant contribution to retaining learners in school
•GBV at schools not being adequately addressed, despite existence of policy in
this regard – insufficient gender and GBV in curriculum, and insufficient
distribution of resource materials and awareness training for teachers
•Eliminate gender disparity – at primary level, marginally more girls than boys;
reversed at secondary level; literacy levels still lower among women than men
•Awaiting statistics on gender transformation in the workplace – appears women
under-represented in senior management positions
Social cluster – infant and maternal mortality
•Infant and under-five mortality rate is unacceptably high – almost four times
WHO’s minimum target – and appears on the increase. Infant mortality rates not
disaggregated by gender. Predominant in rural areas, with HIV leading cause of
death of children under 5 in every province.
•Leading cause for death in children 5-15: girls – HIV; boys road traffic accidents
(death by HIV rate is half that of girls) – should inform HIV prevention measures
adopted by state
•Need for more access, outreach and awareness on immunisation and nutrition
and food security in rural areas, and more interventions targeting men
•Maternal mortality – on the increase – and 60% avoidable; predominant in rural
areas; - largely caused by health systems failures (availability of blood and ICU
facilities, skilled staff, resources); difficulties in accessing TOP
•Access to basic health care - health issues impacting on women not affecting
budget allocation; 95% receive some form of ANC, 85% births attended by
practitioner; transport to health facilities – esp in rural areas – key access issue
Need to see more programmes promoting involvement of men in maternal
health care
Social cluster – HIV and other diseases
•Gender issues are at the centre of HIV prevention challenge. Almost all sexually
active women and men in 15-19 age group engaging in high risk sex – multiple
partners and low condom usage; education level impact on condom use.
Inadequate female-controlled barrier methods – inadequate supply of female
condom; and controversy surrounding microbicides trials. Need for more
awareness and social norm-changing targeting men – some positive examples
•Strategic plan acknowledges women’s vulnerability to HIV, and commits to
prioritising interventions addressing causes of gender inequality and impact of
HIV on women and girls. Encouraging decline of HIV incidence in women aged
15-24; and decline overall, although levels remain too high. High rate of infection
in rural provinces attributed to gender power relations
•Young girls’ particular vulnerability to HIV – gender power inequalities; older
sexual partners – targeted by older men; little support and guidance.
•Women bear brunt of caring for those infected – need to encourage, recruit
and train men to assist with care, particularly for women living with HIV
•Malaria incidence on increase; worrying long-term impact of renewed use of
DDT for prevention; need interventions to address women’s particular
vulnerability to malaria and TB
Key findings – political power
•55% of registered voters are women.
•SA does not have legislation requiring parity in party candidate lists, or in
decision-making posts, with such measures left to individual parties to decide.
Only ANC has voluntarily adopted 50/50 quota system for PR lists, which has
transformed women’s representation in Parliament (45%), Cabinet (41%),
provincial legislatures (42%) and local government (39%).
•Worrying trend of women appointees being replaced by male candidates
•More women PR councillors than ward councillors, reflecting entrenched
attitudes towards women in leadership; and few women councillors stand for
second term, as a a result of discrimination.
•Women are under-represented in management positions within departments
and municipalities, and the private sector, with very poor gender transformation
demonstrated in terms of appointment, recruitment and skills training for women
to progress to senior management, and inadequate policies to transform maledominated environments.
•Judiciary, political parties and trade unions also poor ito gender transformation
Key findings – sustainable development
•Women’s empowerment and gender equality are key ingredients for
sustainable development. Yet women remain largely absent at all levels of policy
formulation and decision-making in natural resource and environmental
management, conservation, protection and rehabilitation, and their experience
and skills in monitoring of proper natural resource management remain largely
untapped. Positive reports from DWAF interventions involving women.
•Women are rarely trained as professional natural resource managers with policy
making capacities, such as land-use planners, agriculturalists, foresters, marine
scientists and environmental lawyers. Even where women have received such
training, they are often underrepresented in policy/decision-making structures.
•Access to clean, renewable energy is a key gender issue, as women spend a
disproportionate portion of their day collecting fuel for household use, and their
use of coal and other fuels in the home impacts negatively on their health and
that of their children.
•Despite increase in access to basic water services, women in rural areas largely
rely on rainfall and groundwater as primary sources of water, often exposing their
families to health risks. Women are disproportionately impacted by the lack of
sanitation facilities, particularly in rural areas and informal settlements.
Key findings – Security cluster (GBV)
•GBV continues unabated in SA, with brutality against women and girls rampant.
One in two women might be raped in her lifetime; a women is raped every 26
seconds; one in four women is in an abusive relationship; and one in four girls has
been sexually abused. Dangerous indication of “normalising” of GBV.
•Welcome interventions ito introduction of Domestic Violence and Sexual
Offences Acts; SOCA unit established in NPA; creation of Thutuzela Care Centres
and Sexual Offences Courts; development of Victim Empowerment Plan and
Charter. Awaiting Trafficking in Persons legislation. Concerns however around
uneven nature of and inadequate resources, training and awareness for
effective implementation of these measures.
•Poor conviction rate for GBV, and non-implementation of minimum sentencing,
and often gender-insensitive, judgemental and inappropriate response from
police and judges, reinforcing gender stereotypes.
•Inadequate and uneven access to counselling and support services, and
places of safety.
•Certain harmful cultural practices continue, such as virginity testing, ukuthwala,
FGM, ukungena, and under-age engagement. Require awareness and
enforcement of existing laws to address infringement of rights of the girl-child.
Recommendations
•Review macro-economic policies to ensure gender responsive; accelerate
infrastructure development in rural areas – huge positive impact on women
•Need for better, more reliable data capture, accurately classified and
disaggregated on basis of gender
•Government departments need to tailor responses ito programmes and
budgets to respond to disparities in vulnerability, need, access and impact
•Draw women into local resource planning, management and monitoring
•Need to address rural and urban disparity – key factor in access to necessary
services impacting on women’s quality of life
•More outreach and awareness programmes for men – bring them into care net
•Need to address skills and attitudes of state employees – entrench
discrimination and poor access to services
•Strengthen M&E – with particular engendered indicators – to assess
implementation and determine impact of policies and programmes designed to
address gender inequality and women’s empowerment. Need for more
resources, training and awareness for effective implementation
•Enforce legislative measures to address discrimination in workplace, and
address particular vulnerabilities of farm and domestic workers
Conclusion
•The Millennium Declaration identified peace, security and
development, including environment, human rights and governance,
as key global development challenges. The Declaration resolved
amongst other things, to promote gender equality and the
empowerment of women as an effective way to combat poverty,
hunger and disease, and stimulate sustainable development.
•While commitments, development of ground-breaking policy and
targeted programmes towards achieving gender equality and
women’s empowerment must be acknowledged and welcomed,
unless the South African government takes decisive steps to ensure
that its policies, programmes and interventions designed to give
effect to the implementation of all the MDGs, speak to the particular
vulnerabilities and needs of women and girl children, we will not see
a full realisation of these goals.