Women and Gender Equality Bill in South Africa
The bill was passed in 2013, and allowed for the implementation of measures to increase equality, such as designing programs to ensure women held fifty percent representation in decision-making structures.
The first is to help implement aspects of the South African national constitution, a document which specifically guarantees equality under the law and prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex and gender.
[3] The act also aims to ensure that South Africa is complying with international agreements it has signed,[1] like the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the Millennium Declaration and Development Goals, both United Nations agreements working towards gender equality in nations across the globe.
The act also lists one of its goals as achieving a minimum of 50% representation of women in decision-making positions, both in the private and public sphere.
[1] The bill's final goal is to provide for the implementation of public education on practices that discriminate against women in order to promote gender equality and social cohesion.
It aims to address the lingering discriminatory patriarchal issues in the country, and women's lack of access to education.
[1] Reproductive rights continue to be a concern for women in South Africa, as there is low support for issues like abortion.
The first part of this section mandates that public and private bodies must develop and implement plans to achieve 50% representation and meaningful participation of women in decision-making positions.
These remedial measures consist of things like preventing potential prejudice on the basis of gender, and reducing disparities between men and women in public and private bodies.
[1] While the bill doesn't offer specific measures or legislation to ensure these conditions are met, it does specify that these programs can include land reform, and gender initiatives in the workplace.
[1] Despite reform efforts in South Africa, the compounding effects of apartheid and gender discrimination have resulted in women being more likely to be employed in low-skill occupations, largely as domestic workers.
After this audit is conducted, the minister can approve the plans of the body, make recommendations, and must publish a report annually about the outcome of these reviews.
These regulations include establishing institutional mechanisms for promoting empowerment, equal representation and participation, and other procedures to implement the bill.
