Source: The Southern Times
This unflattering outlook is contained in the latest report by the 2012 SADC Gender Protocol Barometer, an annual tracking report of regional performance against the targets of the Southern African Development Community Protocol on Gender and Development set for 2015.

The 2008 protocol seeks to provide for the empowerment of women, to eliminate discrimination and to achieve gender equality and equity through the development and implementation of gender responsive legislation, policies, programmes and projects; among other things.

However, the era of “big men” is still very much with us.

The barometer notes that “woman power came visibly into focus” in 2012 with the ascent of Joyce Banda to Malawi’s presidency last April and South Africa's former Minister of Home Affairs, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma becoming the first woman chair of the African Union Commission.

“These are welcome successes for women's rights organisations fighting for gender equality after years of hard work in the governance sector.

“Women are beginning to break the political glass ceiling in many countries and finding their way in roles traditionally occupied by men.”

However, according to the report, national projections show that by 2015 women will likely make up an average of 31.5 percent of parliamentary seats.

The best the region could achieve at the current trajectory, concludes the report, is that by 2015 the regional average may reach the original SADC target of 30 percent that was set way back in 1997.

“No SADC country will reach parity, although at least four will have over 40 percent women in parliament,” notes the report; adding that their projections show that by 2015, 35 percent of local government positions will be held by women.

The report says overall representation of women in parliament has decreased from an average of 25 percent in 2011 to 24 percent in 2012 with only The Seychelles increasing women's representation from 24 percent in 2011 to near parity 45 percent.

The report adds that although the region is making progress at a faster rate globally, this is just not good enough.

It says: “Women's political representation continues to progress faster than the global rate but not fast enough to reach the 2015 target: Since SADC adopted the 50 percent target in 2005, it has posted a three percent increase in women's representation in parliament, from 21 percent to 24 percent.

“The global average of women in parliament increased from 16 percent to 20 percent over the same period, but it has stagnated since 2009.

“Although SADC parliaments had been improving on this front since adopting the 50/50 target, they now seem to be regressing. “This is worrisome as the region strives to meet the target by 2015.”

The region could make do with a lower paradigm and only South Africa has a realistic chance of making parity by 2015.

Says the report: “South Africa may reach parity in its 2014 election, but currently only the ANC, its ruling party, has a voluntary quota of 50 percent.

“Ten countries are set to go beyond the 30 percent mark. Out of these, two (Angola and Mozambique) could surpass 40 percent. Seychelles has already achieved 44 percent. On the low end, Zambia has already missed the boat and much work needs to be done if Botswana and the DRC are to meet even the 30 percent target.”



•  Quotas



Quotas represent the best hope for women in the region – that is if they are adhered to.

The report notes that seven SADC countries have adopted quotas of one kind or the other.

South Africa's ANC and the SWAPO Party of Namibia’s quotas are in line with the SADC Protocol parity targets.

The ruling FRELIMO party in Mozambique is understood to have a 40 percent target, while elsewhere in the region quotas have been set at between 25 percent and 50 percent.

“However,” laments the report, “quotas are often not enforced: Zimbabwe's three political parties all claim to have quotas.

“The Zimbabwe African National Union Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) has always claimed to have a 30 percent quota for women.

“One faction of the Movement for Democratic Change Tsvangirai (MDC-T) says it adopted a 50 percent quota at its 2009 leadership conference.

“Unfortunately, these have not been systematically applied. Meanwhile, South Africa's ANC faltered in its 50/50 commitment during 2011 local elections when it saw a decline in women's representation at this level.”

Elsewhere, the report records that South Africa has drafted a Women's Empowerment and Gender Equality Bill that sets targets for achieving 50/50 by 2015 for all sectors, including public entities and the private sector.

Mauritius has joined Lesotho and Tanzania and implemented a legislated quota at the local level.

The Mauritius quota varies in style as it caters for both sexes.

At least 30 percent of candidates on party lists should be either women or men.

This will go a long way in increasing women's representation, says the report.

The report concedes successes, however modest, as the only increase in women's representation being in the category of national cabinets where the average representation of women in SADC cabinets rose from 22 percent last year to 24 percent this year.

With 49 percent women in local government, Lesotho has the highest proportion of women in any area of political decision-making in the SADC region.

However, even this is down from 58 percent as a result of an amendment to the quota system following an outcry over reserved seats in the 2006 elections. The Seychelles ranks highest in the region as far as parliamentary representation is concerned.

At 45 percent, Seychelles is also fifth in the world in this category. Three other countries, Angola, Lesotho and South Africa, have seen substantial increases between 2005 and 2012, bringing them close to passing the 40 percent mark.


• Way forward

“While the SADC region has seen some progress on increasing women's representation in the political sphere, more remains to be done,” says the report.

There are several measures that can be adopted that include a more “robust” push for 50/50; pressuring governments to make good of their commitment to achieving a minimum 30 percent representation of women in all areas of decision making by 2005 and implementing “special measures” for ensuring women's access to political decision-making, but the ingredients are well known.

These concern electoral systems, quotas, gender-aware parties, and democratic environments.

The report counsels that new approaches to empowerment should be encouraged and apart from skills empowerment, “understanding of the nature and exercise of power, confidence and assertiveness skills, leadership training and communication skills, including debating, use of the Internet and social media, accessing the mainstream media and integrating gender issues into political campaigns” could be deployed.

There is also need to put efforts in research, monitoring and evaluation and the taking away of “major barriers” in custom, culture, religion and tradition.

 

Harare - SADC will “clearly” not meet the 2015 benchmark for achieving gender parity in politics and governance despite some successes recorded this year.