As South Africa commemorates Women’s Month, ANC veteran Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma says women continue to bear a disproportionate burden of poverty, and that there should be equal opportunities between women and men. 

Dlamini-Zuma said this is because the system is still working against women despite constitutional protections and legislative efforts. 

She was speaking during her visit to the Independent Media newsroom on Tuesday.

Every year, in August, South Africa celebrates Women’s Month to pay tribute to the more than 20,000 women who marched to the Union Buildings on August 9, 1956, in protest against the extension of the pass laws to women. 

During Women’s Month, South Africa celebrates women as active agents of change and social transformation. The commemoration also allows the country to take stock of achievements and challenges that remain while mobilising support for the further development of women.

Dlamini-Zuma, who is also the former chairperson of the African Union (AU) executive council of ministers, said this is because South Africa has become a patriarchal society where men hold primary power and predominate in roles of political leadership, moral authority, social privilege, and control of property. 

She said one of the root causes for this is that some parents taught their children that men are more capable than women. 

“And we allow this thing instead of bringing girls and boys equally. I was fortunate because my parents, especially my dad, always said we all go to school, especially the girls, because I don’t want to see you sitting in a toxic situation for the sake of food. 

“He would also tell us that education is the only thing that nobody can take from you. He said this is the only thing he will leave with us. So we were lucky that way,” said the former anti-apartheid activist.

Dlamini-Zuma said the pay gap between men and women needs to be addressed. She said while the government has resolved the issue, this persists in the private sector, despite research showing that companies with more women in management are more competitive than those without female leaders.

According to the Business Case for Change study by the International Labour Organisation, companies that promote parity in management positions increase their profits by 5% to 20%. 

A study conducted by the consultancy group McKinsey revealed that companies with more gender diversity at the top are 21% more likely to have above-average profitability, adding that women tend to bring diverse perspectives and styles on how to solve problems.

Women leaders tend to place higher emphasis on teamwork and collaboration, and research published in Harvard Business Review found that when a woman joins corporate leadership ranks, employee engagement and satisfaction skyrocket, boosting productivity and profitability while creating more cohesive, more effective teams. 

Dlamini-Zuma said, however, despite this evidence, many companies still have more men in the management positions. 

She added that what is even worse is that women are still the face of poverty, adding that they are poorer than everyone else. She stated that this is because it is difficult for women to access financial resources. 

“Even when they have good ideas, women find it difficult to access funding from financial institutions. Everything is just against women. Regardless of our Constitution, it is generally very difficult to be a woman, including the fact that women also face additional challenges such as gender-based violence and many others,” she said, adding that this is one of the reasons the economy remains stagnant. 

“No country will reach its full potential without involving women. It won’t happen and we will always be crying about the economy not growing,” said Dlamini-Zuma, who also added that women should be given equal opportunities as men. 

“Even young girls would probably do better given equal opportunities, because they turned out to be more disciplined even at home. The playing field is not level for women, but they still survive and try to do their best despite it all,” she said. 

manyane.manyane@inl.co.za

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