The Role of Women and Their Development in South Africa - Essay Example

OUTLINE A) INTRODUCTION B) DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS Women contribution into political and economic life of the country 2) The Male Role in the Women’s Status C) RECOMMENDATIONS D) CONCLUSION DESCRIPTION The purpose of this paper is to find out the role of women in South Africa economic and political arena and highlight changes which should be done for women conditions of life and their status enhanced. INTRODUCTION Women status has been recognized as subordinate throughout centuries and cultures. Women had to struggle for their recognition as equal partners and society members. In this paper we concentrate on women of South Africa who have been active participants of struggle against apartheid regime and played a significant role in achieving their current rights and freedoms. Women's contribution to South Africa economic and political arena are increasingly being recognized, but more opportunities are needed for women to fully develop and demonstrate their full potential in this male dominated society. There are still many obstacles women have to overcome before substantial progress can be made on their behalf. In this paper we are going to test a hypothesis that in order for the women of South Africa to develop and take on a more hands on approach toward their future and their country's future they must demand and be given the right and opportunities afforded their male counterparts. South African women proved to achieve their goals and deserve the greatest praise. In this paper we research the struggle of women for their rights in 20th century and role of men in this female struggle. Male dominated model of society structure marginalized women from political and economic arena of the country. Women had to oppose not only oppressive legislation and regulations but to withstand male opposition towards them as equal members of society. We claim that if women were given equal rights with men, their life would be much better and modern discrimination would be eliminated. Now women still need to use many efforts to get on the equal standing with men. DISCUSSION OF FINDINGS Women contribution into political and economic life of the country Since the dawn of 20th century women of South Africa have been really active in the political and economic life of the country. They were active participants in different kinds of organizations including liberation movements which highlighted their importance in South Africa development. Trade union movements and their strikes were the road to politicize women. From 1920s women started to organize, by 1930s women trade unionists led the opposition. With the development of economy in the 1930s and 1940s women became urbanized which gave them power to organize other women and black industrial workers. Though their efforts were crippled by the legislation, they still led illegal strikes. The union movement served the ground for women to arise as political leaders. (The Role Of Women, 1980) Since 1913 when the African National Congress (ANC) Bantu Women’s League was founded, women have been active in many organizations. They played an active role in the Campaign of Defiance Against Unjust Laws, helped to organize the Congress of Democrats, a white organization in alliance with the ANC and the Coloured People's Congress. However, they lacked a broad-based organization which made the participation of women sporadic. Besides, almost all activity was urban-based. (The Role Of Women, 1980) The formation of the Federation of South African Women (FSAW) in 1954 with 230,000 representatives was a start for women to arise on the political arena and their struggle for the rights of and freedoms for women. Women organized boycotts standing for the rights of black people. In 1954 the FSAW campaigned for a boycott of schools, in 1957 it was a boycott of the Public Utility Transportation Company for a one penny fare increase which women organized. In 1959 women organized a beer boycott leading to uprisings all over Natal. After the Sharpeville Massacre a new era of repressions and bans started. Women led hunger strikes in protest and everyone agreed that resistance movement was given certain impetus by women. (Perkins, 1999) Women participated in against the pass laws in 1950s. It was women who were the primary catalysts of the anti-pass protests, not the traditional male leaders. Many of these African women had never before been involved in political protests or demonstrations. Here not only urban female population participated but rural women took their own initiative to protest pass laws. Such a militancy of the women shocked many men. The role of women in the liberation struggle was acknowledged by the ANC National Executive Committee. The role of women in liberation movement and political life was determined by the conditions and position in society they found themselves in. The burden of African women was double as they were at the lowest layer of the social and economic hierarchy. They were employed in the lowest paid jobs and were moved to the land in the African reserves. Pass law legislation and influx control laws were used by the Government to confine women to the African reserves which meant the life of poverty and hardship. Living in reserves women depended much on male earnings which were not secure or regular. The reserve economy deteriorated and soil fertility being low contributed to the hard situation in which majority of women was in. Pass legislation meant for women further deterioration of their social status and utter control of the Government over their lives. That would mean no reunification of the family and hungry life of their children. Women as it was already mentioned were active not only in respect of pass law. Women rose against "Bantu" education, bus fare increases, forced removals of African communities, government-owned beer halls, bans of selling home brew, an important source of income for many women, Government’s "betterment" schemes in the rural areas. (Schmidt) Men did not expect so live participation of women because of the traditional subordinate view on the status of women. Men were perplexed by the scale of female protests and their militant spirit. Much criticism fell on men for their passivity. They were accused for being more spectators while women stood against the system. The main factor contributing to the active participation of women in political life was deterioration of the economy in the reserves and migration of males which resulted in the destruction of the family and worsening of life for women. The female vehemence can be also explained by the fact that they had nothing to lose unlike men who were afraid to lose job or urban residency right. Pass law imposed restriction on the freedom of women which men did not have before. Under the pressure of new regulation women have nothing to do but to raise for the struggle and everyone was aware that their power is unique and incredibly strong and nothing can stop them to achieve the freedom. The result of the vehement female struggle for the rights and freedoms was not crowned with success, however. By 1960 women had to yield and 75% accepted passes. The last anti-pass demonstrations were in 1960. Many organizations such as the African National Congress and the Pan Africanist Congress were declared unlawful. By 1963 the African National Congress Women`s League and the Federation of South African Women disappeared. The leadership was imprisoned or banned. (Kaplan, 1996) However, we cannot regard it as a failure of women. It was only a step in the evolutionary process of women gaining their rights and freedoms. We should claim that women showed with their struggle that they should be treated as equals to men and their subordinate position is not fair. They made men aware of the female power and ability to struggle for their rights and freedoms. It should be stressed that women made a great contribution into liberation movement of South Africa. The political participation did not stop on this point. In 1985 women joined the resistance of resurgent liberation forces helping to make residential areas "ungovernable", protesting state exploitation of their labour and control of their movements and demanding access to community resources. Activists formed their own organizations creating a space to put women's issues on the agenda. “South African women found political voice and power in their community spaces and traditional gender roles.” (Hill, 2004) In the period of the transition to a democratic regime women realized the need to highlight gender issues and gender equality. That’s why they aimed to ensure women's representation in a new political arena. Women's National Coalition (WNC) launched in 1992 included eighty organizations. The Coalition served as a resources base for women to participate in negotiations during transition period. It played a vital role in the construction of the post-apartheid constitution with regard of the women's interests. Participants of all level meetings generated a consensus document to address a number of rights. The Women's Charter for Effective Equality recognized the impact of racial, gender, and economic oppressions on South African women and called for the incorporation of gender equity and anti-discrimination practices into the redesigned governance structure. Thus, women articulated in the Women's Charter a reformulated understanding of their subjectivity as fully human and equal citizens and outlined terms for a new gender regime and principles to guide South Africa toward gender justice. (Hill, 2004) Before 1994 electoral victory the ANC took a well-articulated strategy which focused sharply on representation issues during a transition to democracy process. The failure to get a quota of seats on the National Executive Committee in 1991 turned to be success in 1994 when the ANC adopted a 30 per cent quota of women on its electoral lists. (Hassim, 2000) The female strategies to advance gender democracy during political transition include politicizing gender, constructing and advocating women's interests in the context of mobilization against the apartheid state. Women claimed space within liberation movements to articulate their own experiences of oppression. The resistance of women during the battle for liberation laid the ground for battle against gender oppression waged by new South African feminists today, thus refining and expanding the terms of their inclusion in the new democratic order. (Hill, 2004) Women representatives in government influenced the constitution adopted in 1996. Women were strongly opposed by several traditional leaders in their attempt to push for an equality clause. The tension came from the female initiatives to advance the rights of South African women. It should be noted that after South Africa's second democratic elections in June 1999 eight women were appointed to ministerial positions. The country ranks seventh in the world in terms of women parliamentary representatives (25 per cent). (Hassim, 2000) One of the most successful female attempts to gain rights for women was the Joint Committee on the Improvement of Quality of Life and Status of Women. It played crucial role in proposing and tracking legislation concerning women. It also gives consultations to women's organizations in civil society. (Hassim, 2002) All in all the South African constitution and the African National Congress (ANC) government have entrenched gender equality as a key political value which is significant achievements on a continent where women are too often regarded as secondary citizens. (Hassim, 2000) Along with political accommodation of women there appear also investment companies controlled and run by Black women eager to transform the economic landscape. One of such is the Women's Investment Portfolio (WIP) which is committed to increasing women's wealth. WIP attracted 17,000 women to become shareholders. (Mutume, 2004) The major goal of such companies is to foster female entrepreneurship in South Africa. These companies help the development of Black women entrepreneurship which was oppressed and marginalized under apartheid. This is very important since women as a previously disadvantaged group need the help of “entities that look after the rights of women that motivate them and make it easier for them to acquire equity.” (Mutume, 2004) Despite some successful engagement of women in economic participation, the involvement of women in resources-sector transactions remains peripheral. Despite the improvements in the professional development of women and the growing number of women CEs or chairs of boards (6,5%) women participation in economic life is still low. (Sebotsa, 2005) Developed-market statistics show that women business owners are good creditors and run well their businesses. However women own predominantly SMEs in the informal sector and have to overcome burdensome barriers to entry. (Sebotsa, 2005) The Male Role in the Women’s Status The initial failures of women in the liberation struggle can be explained by the fact that men did not support women to the extend they should. Women were not supported by men as well as they were much suppressed or discriminated. The terrains of government and politics were considered to be male dominated and patriarchal. Women were denied the right to vote as well as they were not accepted to major political organization in early 20th century. The factors which hampered women to enter political arena confidently was the lack of fluency in European languages. Being dependent on male interpreters women were refused the audience by white officials. Being controlled by male national leaders women were steered away from militant actions. Women participation in the Constitution of the South African Native National Convention (SANNC/ANC) was limited to 'traditional' domestic roles. The draft constitution included prevailing patriarchal notions of women's roles in society which were inscribed in the constitutional provisions for and duties of a category of "auxiliary" members who had been enrolled without fee and with no vote. (Ginwala) The same conventional gender roles based approach translates into poor welfare system offered for women. Eurocentric views about gender roles formed the opinion "people would live in two-generational nuclear families with a male head of household; that there would be full employment in the formal waged economy and that women would be at home" (Lund et al., 1996 p. 97 in Hassim) That’s why government spending on social welfare does not appear to be addressing women's subordinate status. The most vulnerable citizens are South Africa's women. They have lower incomes, higher unemployment rates, and less access to assets than men. The poorest category is rural African women. (Hassim, 2005) Discrimination of women, particularly black African women is common in labour markets. Women are concentrated on the most vulnerable jobs, such as agriculture, domestic work and informal sector activities. Women lack secure access to resources such as land and income. Women cannot fully utilize social and economic opportunities. (South Africa, 2001) The common view of politics in South Africa has been primarily male elites business and it was supported not only within "nonprogressive" political organizations. “Despite notions of mass base in the internal anti-apartheid movement, reliance on strategies devised and directed by a small core of male leadership effectively excluded women activists from making an impact on organizational direction and culture.” (Hassim, 2002) Women as political agents were undermined and their political activity was viewed as insignificant. Already in 1990s women's politics in South Africa can be seen as a constant struggle against that marginalization. Transition to democracy resulted in an expansion of the political space available to women. (Hassim, 2002) Many agree that politics is dominated by men and women had to confront a "masculine model" of politics. Societies with strong patriarchal traditions as well as political actors do not support women in their endeavors. Gender equality in politics is difficult to achieve because of cultural and traditional stereotypes of male dominance over women. Women have to overcome stereotypes, negative attitudes and other barriers of male dominated societies. (Ramphele, 1997) The Stockholm-based Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (IDEA) reports that women politicians across the globe often lack political party support and have no access to quality education and training to enter politics. "Political life is organized for male norms and values and in many cases even for male life-styles." (Mutume, 2004) RECOMMENDATIONS Women have shown that they can struggle for their rights. Still condition of life for women and their status can be enhanced. We have discussed the barriers which hamper women to get equality in the society. From this we draw conclusions and make recommendations. Since women often lack education and knowledge on gender issues they should be encouraged to develop skills and to correct their lack of voice in existing data. Women should be given access to resources and community political participation. Gender equality programs at the government level should be promoted and for those existing accountability should be improved. Low paid and insecure workers the majority of which are women should be organized and trained to gain labor and welfare rights. Women should know how gender relations shape livelihood strategies, particularly in the context of institutions and practice of customary law. (South Africa, 2001) Women's share of seats in parliament does not guarantee the benefits for the majority of women. There are many factors which hinder elected women from promoting laws that aid women. This can be limits on policy choices set by international financial institutions or national constitutions or political parties. Quotas gained cannot guarantee a true democracy and under an old system women are viewed as not politically deserving. (Mutume, 2004) That’s why it’s recommended that women get the profound knowledge of the rules of politics, create conditions that allow more women to participate and then eventually change the rules to suit the needs of the majority of women. Women participation should be promoted from the bottom up and all kinds of organization from trade unions to churches should contribute to this process. And it’s the responsibility of the women themselves to stand by their rights and find a proper place in the society. It’s women who must bring about the change. Female participation in the policy making and state decision making allows women to continue the terms of women's inclusion as equal citizens. Women Members of Parliament must ensure that women's issues reach government agendas and women needs are taken into account. (Hill, 2004) Women participation in the economic life of the country should be also enhanced. Women engaged in business tend to favour economic empowerment of the country. That’s why women should be treated as capable individuals and strategic partners but not left behind. CONCLUSION Women of South Africa are known for their active participation in the political life of the country. Recent statistics also shows the contribution of women to the economic development of the country. Female oppression in South Africa served the basis for the long struggle of women for their rights and freedoms. In 20th century oppressive attitude towards women, their rights and freedoms made them aware of the need to struggle for their life enhancement. Women suffered from the humiliations of poor life in reserves, they were not allowed to high paid jobs, they were denied the right to vote. It gave a strong impetus for them to struggle and unlike men whose position was not better at that moment, women took a militant approach to solve their problem. Though women have not always been successful in their attempts to gain equal position with men, they showed they are ready to fight and win. The failure to oppose pass law did not stop them from being active in further attempts. In 1990s they managed to get to the political arena and make their input into the solving of the problem of gender equality. They were successful to highlight the gender issues in a new constitution. They gained high quota of parliament seats. Their organizations have power in decision making of the country. Despite all this achievements women still need support of men. From the very beginning women lacked the strong male shoulder. In the male dominated society women were treated as subordinate. They were undermined as political agents and their political activity was viewed as insignificant. They have been constantly struggling marginalization. Male indifference toward equality problem and moreover their ignorance of this issue is not the only factor which contributed to the marginalization of women. Women have never had an access to quality education. They lacked skills and knowledge how to enter politics, they had no back up of political parties, and they much depended on men who did not hurry to help them. Male norms and values dominated political life of the country. Women were left 'traditional' domestic roles in public and political life. In this situation women have nothing to do but to struggle their way through numerous barriers like discrimination and marginalization. Still their success showed that the attempts are not vain and they have enough power to achieve their goal. We can see it from the recent successes in the political and economic life. More and more women enter economic sphere and they prove to be capable employers and workers. What do women need to achieve the equality status? First of all they need determination to fight for their rights. On the other hand they need governmental support to promote equality issues in society. Government should promote gender equality programs, improve labor and welfare condition of women, create environment for female education. Women should be given access to resources and community political participation. REFERENCES Ginwala, Frene. "Women and the African National Congress: 1912-1943. " 14 May 2006. . Hassim, Shireen. "A Conspiracy of Women: The Women S Movement in South Africa's Transition to Democracy." Social Research (2002). ---. "South Africa: A Strategic Ascent - Women's Rights." UNESCO Courier (June, 2000). ---. "Turning Gender Rights into Entitlements: Women and Welfare Provision in Postapartheid South Africa." Social Research (Fall, 2005). Hill, Leslie. " Redefining the Terms: Putting South African Women on Democracy's Agenda " Meridians Vol. 4.Iss. 2 (2004): 113. Kaplan, Temma. Crazy for Democracy: Women in Grassroots Movements. Routledge, 1996. Mutume, Gumisai. "Women Break into African Politics. Quota Systems Allow More Women to Gain Elected Office." Africa Recovery Vol.18.iss.1 (2004): 4. Perkins, Kathy A., ed. Black South African Women: An Anthology of Plays. Routledge, 1999 Ramphele, Mamphela. Across Boundaries: The Journey of a South African Women Leader. Feminist Press, 1997. “The Role Of Women In The Struggle Against Apartheid” Extracts from paper prepared by the Secretariat for the World Conference of the United Nations Decade for Women, Copenhagen, July 1980.  14 May 2006 http://www.anc.org.za/un/womenrole.html Schmidt Elizabeth S. “Now You Have Touched The Women” African Women`s Resistance to the Pass Laws in South Africa 1950-1960. 14 May 2006 http://www.anc.org.za/ancdocs/history/misc/schmi123.html#(1)#(1) Sebotsa, Sonja. "Rocking the Cradle of Equality." Business Day (2005): 15. “South Africa: Discrimination Against Women Persists” University of Sussex, Institute of Development Studies report. Win News, Wntr, 2001 Read More