Report on the Economic and Social Conditions in Southern Africa,2000

UNITED NATIONS
Economic Commission
for Africa

NATIONS UNIES
Commission Économique
pour l'Afrique

SUBREGIONAL DEVELOPMENT CENTRE FOR SOUTHERN AFRICA (ECA/SRDC-SA)

The need to improve the well being of the women of the world is the force behind the United Nations launching of the global Conferences on Women (Mexico 1975, Copenhagen 1980; Nairobi 1985; and Beijing 1995). The first three conferences culminated in the adoption of the "Nairobi Forward Looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women" and the Beijing Conference evaluated the implementation of the Nairobi Strategy.

The Beijing Platform for Action (PFA) identified twelve critical areas of concern to be addressed:

Political will and commitment to implement the critical areas of concern has been demonstrated by member States through adoption of the Beijing recommendations and most countries have created an environment conducive to addressing gender issues and enhancing the status of women. In order to put in place mechanisms that would link the commitments taken at the international level with national policies and programs for the advancement of women, at the continental level, each of the five regional commissions of the United Nations was given the mandate. In Africa, therefore, the Economic Commission for the Africa is charged with this task.

In Africa, most of the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) and Inter-Governmental Organizations (IGOs) formed to reinforce economic integration within their member States have established networks or specialized services to promote the advancement of women. Some sub-regional IGOs however, tend to leave the issues of advancement of women to the structures under national sovereignty.

The Southern African Development Community (SADC) is a laudable example for having developed a gender policy and the institutional framework for its implementation. The 1997 SADC Declaration on Gender Development and the Plan of Action adopted in 1998 gives member States ownership, empowerment and accountability for measures to address the issue of the advancement of women in the subregion.

All Southern African member States have adopted the recommendations of the Beijing Platform for Action. While all critical areas of the Platform are being addressed, each Member State focuses on a few areas of its priority concern. Without exception, all SADC member States have selected to address Women and Poverty and Women in Power and Decision-Making. This came out of an analysis of national reports in preparation for the Mid-Decade Review of Beijing + 5 Conference organized by ECA in Addis Ababa in November 1999. The following will, therefore, focus on progress in these two areas in the region in the reporting period.

Women and poverty was considered the top priority issue in Beijing Platform. It is no accident, therefore, that all the member States in Africa identified it as their first priority concern to be addressed. This is also in response to Commitment Number 5 of the World Summit for Social Development (WSSD), namely "A commitment to promote full respect for human dignity and to achieve equality and equity between women and men, and to recognize and enhance participation and leadership roles of women in political, civil, economic, social and cultural life in development."

Not much change has occurred since 1995, however. The mid-term review of Beijing + 5 was undertaken during the Addis Ababa meeting. A synthesis of national reports revealed that approximately 44 per cent of Africa's population, whose great majority are women, still live below the poverty line. The disproportionate burden of poverty shared by women in the continent has continued to increase since 1995 in both absolute and relevant terms. Macro and micro-economic policies and programs and development strategies had rarely been designed to take account of their impact on women and girl children, especially those living in poverty.

A review of national economies in Southern Africa sends a clear message of gender inequalities, which contribute to aggravating poverty among the majority of women in the sub-region. Inequalities in access to productive resources such as credit, collateral facility, land and support services (skills training and extension services) are reported in Namibia, Botswana, Lesotho, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

The majority of women in the sub-region are in the traditional occupations such as domestic and household service, as well as agriculture where their contribution is not accounted for. Wide disparities between men and women characterize formal sector employment. In the sectors traditionally believed to be the domain of men several countries report that women are concentrated in nursing and paramedical occupations, teaching, clerical and sales jobs. Further, there is an under-representation of women in technical fields. Based on 1998 figures, in South Africa, women artisans, apprentices and related occupations comprised 5.1 percent; transport, delivery, communications occupations 5.9 percent; registered engineers 3.1 percent; judges or magistrates 9.6 per cent. During the same period in the service sector, 75 percent of domestic workers were women.

It is encouraging to note that in the manufacturing sector in Mauritius, women account for above 60 per cent of the labor force. The major contributing factor is conducive labor laws to women's working conditions, which include maternity benefits and allowances, time off for nursing mothers, optional early retirement, lighter work for expecting mothers, and lighter load carrying by women in industry.

While advocacy to have measures in place to bridge the gender gap in the formal and informal employment, the issues of women land rights is being pursued with intensity. The majority of women living in poverty are in the rural areas, yet they lack access to and ownership of land, an essential asset to their livelihood, survival, economic justice and a basis for economic growth and development. Women are both producers and providers of food. They work on land more than any other category of society, providing 80-90 per cent of the labor in subsistence production, and over 70 per cent in cash crop production.

As mentioned above, with the exception of Mauritius and Seychelles, women's limited access to and ownership of land in Southern Africa curtails their ability as producers of food and cash crops. The added constraints include structural inequalities in ownership, which is compounded by the pre-independence land tenure system of commercial farms allocated to minorities. This is the case in Namibia where 4,000 commercial farmers control 44 percent of arable agricultural land in contrast to 67 percent of the African population with access to only 41 percent of mostly poor agricultural land. Women are highly disadvantaged since most commercial farmers are men.

In Zimbabwe, corporations comprise 0.01 per cent of the population but own more than 50 per cent of arable land. The majority of the black farmers (around 3 million) is under the communal land tenure system (resettlement scheme). In both sectors men own and decide on land. There is also direct and indirect access to and ownership or control of land. While women might have access, it is mostly men who have control.

In Lesotho, only 9-10 percent of the land is now arable after gradual decline due to erosion, poor land use and population growth. The chances of women access to land are further limited since land allocation is confined to men.

While Malawi law does not discriminate against women in matters of land ownership, access to land for most people in Malawi is customary and allocated to a family or inherited. As there is no legal title, land cannot be used as collateral.

The situation in Swaziland is mixed, as the economy is dominated by a large well developed foreign owned private sector. However, agriculture continues to be the major sectoral activity in the country's economy, especially given the current trend of relocation of industries to South Africa. Power on land is vested in the King as Head of State and is divided into Chiefdoms. Land is allocated to individuals for cultivation, residence and communal grazing. It is, however, only accessible to men.

Mining, cattle and livestock farming dominate the Botswana economy. Mining, which does not generate much employment, is mainly a male domain. The long-standing tradition of keeping women from cattle ownership has to a large extent continued. Beef production is the most important part of agricultural sector carried out in commercial farms, the sole monopoly of men who also receive a wide range of subsidies from the government. In the crop subsistence-farming sector, women comprise about one-third of the total and they are the most resource poor. Access to land is regulated through a male relative and chances are reduced to single women heading families.

Initiatives to ratify these inequalities are mainly through (i) conducting research on land reform to enhance land rights to women and other disadvantaged groups; (ii) advocacy to reform the discriminatory legal policy framework; (iii) engendering national constitutions; (iv) providing and promoting legal literacy; (v) documenting and disseminating information; (vi) identifying indicators for monitoring progress made on women's land rights.

NGOs in Southern Africa and elsewhere are working tirelessly to enhance impact on the issue of women land rights through creating strategic linkages among the stakeholders in the whole sub-region. Table II.3 in annex summarizes NGOs and land advocacy activities in Eastern and Southern Africa.

A study entitled "Modalities, Strategies and Mechanisms for Women's Access to and Ownership of Land in Eastern Africa", which was conducted in 1999 brought to the surface constraining factors similar to those faced in the Southern Africa region. Women Access to and Ownership of Land is deterred by many factors including: (i) customary laws, for instance inheritance; (ii) economic restructuring and land distribution policies have often excluded women; (iii) land market remains inaccessible to women due to lack of financial resources; (iv) many African countries are still unwilling to recognize women's rights to property as a basic individual right deriving from their rights as human beings. Thus, the constraints to Women's Access to and Ownership of Land in Africa may be categorized as follows: policy related barriers; legal and constitutional systems; African customary and cultural practices.

The plan of action under the study is intended to provide corrective measures at sub-regional and national levels, on the issue of Women Access to and Control of Land. With a few peculiarities, causes for the inequalities in Eastern Africa are similar to those in Southern Africa. Tables II.4 and II.5 in annex contain proposed actions at subregional and national level, respectively.

Guided by Article 36 of the Beijing Declaration, as signatories to the 1997 SADC Declaration on Gender and Development, Heads of State and Government committed themselves to: "Ensuring the equal representation of women and men in the decision making of member states and SADC structures at all levels, and the achievement of at least a thirty percent target of women in political and decision making structures by year 2005"

The Nairobi Forward Looking Strategies (1985) set a similar target of thirty percent, to have been achieved ten years after (1995). The current target is therefore a further extension. The women of the Southern African subregion are putting concerted effort to avoid similar delays and further extensions. To that end extensive consultative dialogue, research, advocacy, pressure, caucusing and networking are some of the approaches being applied to achieve and even go beyond the thirty per cent target.

In order to assess progress made to achieve the goal set, periodic monitoring is necessary. In this connection therefore, monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of the target of 30 per cent and beyond by the year 2005 was conducted during a SADC Conference held in Gaborone on 28 March-1 April 1999.

Simple averaging from member states indicates 15 percent of women in parliament. Angola, Mozambique, South Africa, Seychelles and Tanzania are the only five member States in the SADC region at 15 percent or higher, and three countries (South Africa at 29.8 per cent, Mozambique 28.4 per cent and Seychelles 24 per cent) account for this average. A parliamentary seat however is not necessarily a guarantee to a cabinet post. Compared to the average of 15 per cent for women in parliament, the average representation of women in cabinet in the SADC region is 12 per cent.

Following an in-depth assessment and a situational analysis of women in politics and decision-making in the SADC region, the same Conference drew up a time bound, action specific program to address the issue in all the countries at national and sub-regional levels. The analysis included in each country: (i) a highlight of the percentage of women in parliament; (ii) the percentage in cabinet level; (iii) existence and type of special measures for women; and (iv) date for next election.

This analysis guided the region on the kind and timing of necessary follow up action. Major categories of follow-up actions proposed and tailor-made to country specificity include: (i) lobbying for legislated quotas, review of the electoral system, political parties to increase and honor quotas; (ii) fully-fledged Ministry of Women Affairs; (iii) develop and enact gender policy; (iv) remind presidents of Southern Africa of their commitment; (v) direct action by Women Caucus; (vi) information dissemination; (vii) strategizing on required quotas; (viii) put pressure on presidents for required action.

In order for women in parliament to make a change for transformation of the system, strategic modalities proposed for support include: (i) capacity building (training, providing information and analysis); (ii) networking among women MPs; (iii) internal and external transformation of the operational setting into a gender sensitive arena and enabling environment.