By Andrea Naicker
Everyday women take on different roles in their lives. These include being mothers, partners, educators and caregivers and simultaneously fulfil positions such as entrepreneurs, leaders and professionals. Considering the instrumental and dynamic roles of women in our society, it is our responsibility to protect and empower them.
We should provide women with the tools, resources, skills and opportunities they require to make their dreams a lived reality. By practically empowering women there are no limits to what can be achieved.
Our history abounds with the achievements of many remarkable women who came before and whose deeds continue to inspire action for change. The women of 1956 who protested against discriminatory pass laws demonstrated how women can drive transformation in a nation. These heroines paved the way for equal rights for women which we celebrate today.
The month of August marks Women’s Month and this year we celebrate the inroads made in attaining gender equality and economic emancipation of women that enables them to be financially independent, which is also a key component in our struggle against Gender-Based Violence and Femicide. We also assess how to accelerate economic opportunities for women, who in many cases are the sole breadwinners in their homes.
Our Women’s’ Month programme shines a spotlight on women in diverse sectors including procurement, property, automotive, agriculture, energy, technologies and various fields that are instrumental in narrowing gender disparities. Women are now included in sectors that were once reserved for men only, indicating the significant developments in expanding opportunities to women, across diverse fields, during our democratic dispensation.
Over the past 30 Years of Freedom and Democracy, women have assumed positions in the labour force as laws for redress such as Affirmative Action and Broad-Based Black Empowerment (B-BBEE) were enacted. Women, and in particular African women, have grown in senior management positions, having almost tripled in the last 20 years alone. There is also increased representation of women in government as over 40 percent of seats in Parliament are occupied by women.
Though much has been done to uplift the lives of women, it is deeply troubling that many women in South Africa are unemployed and continue to face challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment. To tackle these issues, government has created employment opportunities and programmes aimed at empowering women.
In the public service, The Gender Equality Project, provides a roadmap for implementing the Gender Equality Seal to address societal challenges that women face within the public service. This will accelerate programmes aimed at the employment and empowerment of women in the public service, while also reforming the public sector.
Furthermore, government has committed that 40 percent of all public procurement is reserved for women-owned businesses, giving female entrepreneurs exposure for their products and services.
We encourage a culture of entrepreneurship among women and have made resources available to assist women to start their own businesses. The National Empowerment Fund, Women Empowerment Fund, provides funding of R250 000 to R75 million for businesses owned by black women, across a range of sectors.
Aspiring entrepreneurs can also acquire funding through the Small Enterprise Finance Agency, National Infrastructure Fund and the Industrial Development Corporation. These and other avenues enable female entrepreneurs to gain market access, finance, skills and the resources to grow their business, while helping to grow the economy.
Â鶹ÃÛÌÒAVhas also invested in employment programmes such as the Presidential Employment Stimulus and the Presidential Youth Employment Intervention, which have collectively made a difference in the lives of the 1.7 million people, 65 percent of which are women.
In addition, the Expanded Public Works Programme also provides opportunities for employment and skills development. We are working towards sharpening the skills of women through the Women’s Economic Empowerment Programme workshops which help equip female traders with skills, tools and resources for business.
As government works towards empowering women, we call upon all sectors to join us as we work to ensure that women in our nation flourish and reach their full potential.
