The Department of Women: For All Womankind

Minister of Women in the Presidency Susan Shabangu

On 3^rd July 2014 President Jacob Zuma signed a proclamation establishing the Department of Women (DoW) and located it in The Presidency, reaffirming the country’s commitment to the Beijing Platform of Action. He also abolished the former Department of Women, Children and People with Disabilities (DWCPD).

When announcing his new Cabinet on 25^th May 2014, the President mandated the Women’s Ministry with championing the achievement of women’s socio-economic empowerment and women’s rights.

The Aim of DoW

To lead, coordinate, and oversee the transformation agenda of women’s socio-economic empowerment, rights and equality through mainstreaming, advocacy, monitoring, and evaluation. The priority of the Ministry is to ensure that women’s socio-economic empowerment and human rights are mainstreamed across all sectors of society.

Focus in the Next Five Years

• Human rights and social empowerment of women: To raise awareness and
  
  educate sectors and communities on women’s human rights, as a basis towards socio-economic empowerment of women.
• Equality: To work towards the realisation of the 50/50 parity principle for gender equality across political, public, and private sectors, as well as promoting the establishment of a pool of potential female leaders.
• Women’s Economic Empowerment: To invest in women’s economic empowerment, creating a direct path towards gender equality, poverty eradication, and inclusive economic growth.
• Partnerships: To forge ties with professional businesswomen across sectors, in order to foster economic empowerment of women.
• Mainstreaming: To facilitate the consideration of women and gender issues and interest across all sectors.

The mainstreaming agenda will be anchored through the following pillars:

• Monitoring and Evaluation: DoW will play an overseeing role by introducing monitoring and evaluation tools to keep both the government and private sector accountable when it comes to the mainstreaming of gender. The Department will work closely with the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, to align our monitoring and evaluation mechanisms to ensure mainstreaming of gender in reporting.
• Research Agenda: The DoW will push a strong research agenda to allow us to look at gaps in the implementation of existing legislation that has resulted in the derailment of the empowerment of women, and thus the attainment of gender equality. The research findings will allow the department to make the necessary policy recommendations.
• Gender Responsive Budgeting: Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) is a key enabler to unlocking female empowerment and realising gender equality. A radical change is needed to ensure that all parties in the public and private sectors – including NGOs – implement GRB in all their planning, programmes, budgeting, and expenditure processes.

In the next five years, the priority of the Ministry is to ensure that women’s socio-economic empowerment and women’s rights are mainstreamed across all sectors of society through:

• Monitoring the extent to which social and economic circumstances of women are improved.
• Promoting, advocating for and monitoring women’s empowerment and gender equality.
• Promoting the understanding of differential circumstances of women and men in society and the impact of seemingly neutral decisions, plans, laws, policies, and practices on either gender through capacity building on gender mainstreaming and responsive gender budgeting.
• Facilitating and monitoring capacity building and skills development for women to participate meaningfully in all areas of the economy and the workplace.
• Standardising of accountability with regard to the implementation of gender mainstreaming by both public and private sectors.

The cornerstone for DoW’s future remains the **Women’s Charter of 1954**, which

informed the development of the **1994 Women’s Charter for Effective Equality**. The charter called for: the enfranchisement of men and women of all races; the right to vote and be elected to all state bodies; the right to full opportunities for employment, with equal pay and possibilities of promotion in all spheres of work; equal pay for equal work; equal rights in relation to property, land rights, marriage, and children; and the removal of all laws and customs that denied women such equality, among others.

Black people voted for the first time during the general elections held in South Africa on 27^th April 1994. All citizens of all races and genders voted, except for those who exercised their right not to vote. Women like Charlotte Maxeke and the other stalwarts ululated in their graves as one of the aims of the **Women’s Charter of 1954** was realised.

In 2013 we commemorated a centenary and paid tribute to the stalwarts of 1913, led by Charlotte Mannye Maxeke, and in 2016 we will celebrate 60 years of the **Freedom Charter**, and pay tribute to the 1956 heroines led by Lillian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Sophie De Bruyn, Rahima Moosa, and many more. This year, as we celebrate 20 years of democracy, we are also celebrating 60 years of the **Women’s Charter**.

Tools to Move the Women’s Agenda Forward

• Embark on a strategic realignment and restructuring exercise.
  
• Review the status, role, location and sustainability of the National Council Against Gender Based Violence (NCGBV) to strengthen efforts to eliminate GBV.
• Advocate that more of the processing of the Restitution of Land Claims by the Department of Rural Development and Land Reform be allocated to women.
• Review and finalisation of the **Women Empowerment and Gender Equity Bill**.

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