Reshaping power – South Africa’s gender machinery reviewed

Abstract

This article adopts a descriptive research approach to evaluate the main achievements and limitations of the mechanisms and processes that were established to promote greater gender equity and women’s empowerment in governance in South Africa in the period since 1994. While the article is juxtaposed against the background of South Africa’s ‘national gender machinery’ to advance gender equality in general, particular attention is paid to a new endeavour, in this case the Ministry of Women, Children and People with Disabilities, which is employed by the government to bring the constitutional rights of women to light, especially the poor in the rural areas and the many thousands of women in informal settlements. The fact that in 2009, there were 43.2% female parliamentarians, does not automatically translate into an increased welfare for women and more gender-sensitive development policies, hence the importance and relevance of this research.