Source: Sowetan
WHEN announcing his cabinet earlier this year, President Jacob Zuma mandated the women's ministry to champion women's socio-economic empowerment and rights. 

But this is a responsibility that rests with all South Africans. During Women's Month we commemorate and honour the more than 20000 women who marched to the Union Buildings on August 9 1956 in protest against the extension of pass laws to women.

They declared they would not be denied equality in the country of their birth.

The women of South Africa today are the spiritual descendants of the class of 1956.

It is time for women to again stand up and demand that their voices be heard. There has been much to celebrate since 1994.

Women enjoy the right to vote, the right to education, the right to employment and numerous other rights which are guaranteed to all South Africans by law.

The foundations of equality that were first laid in 1994 have steadily been built on by successive administrations.

But gender inequality is still a major issue in the country and must be tackled decisively if we are to move South Africa forward.

For instance, there has been a debate on providing child-care facilities at work for mothers. Such facilities would increase productivity and ensure that skilled women do not leave employment due to maternal responsibilities.

The Department of Women will take the lead in further empowering women over the next five years.

It has indicated that it will undertake robust monitoring of the advances made and the challenges which remain in ensuring that the socioeconomic empowerment of women and their rights are entrenched in all sectors of society.

This will allow the department to determine the social and economic circumstances of women, allow them to assume a greater oversight role and thereby hold both government and the private sector accountable. The department has announced that it will work closely with the Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation in this regard.

A further leg to this process is active research that will track the gaps and challenges that have prevented women from benefiting fully from our freedom. We are confident that this will ultimately see an improvement in the socioeconomic circumstances of women.

During this month, most South Africans will probably have cast their minds to the special women in their lives. Those of us with spouses, life partners or female children will no doubt reflect on what the day means to our nation.

But for there to be meaningful change it must be more than just a passing thought or reflection. We must not only highlight issues during Women's Month. Women issues are not only of a social nature. To achieve concrete emancipation of women, it is imperative for economic inclusion to be at the forefront of women's agenda.

We all have a duty to aggressively promote and advocate for women's empowerment and gender equality. Our constitution provides for equality for all. But we must interrogate whether the implementation of plans, laws, policies and cultural practices have unintended consequences that impair the aspirations of women.

Undoubtedly much has been achieved since 1994, but we dare not fold our arms in the mistaken belief that the playing field is now level. Many women still remain marginalised and side-lined, and brutality against women and children is a daily reality.

Twenty years into our democracy, much has changed.

Women now have the power to shape their own destinies.

More must still be done to ensure that women are afforded the same opportunities as their male counterparts, and we will not rest until they do.

 

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