DSD COMMEMORATES PUBLIC SERVICE WOMEN MANAGEMENT WEEK

By Precious Mupenzi

• The Department of Social Development commemorated Public Service Women Management Week, reflecting on progress made in gender equality since 1994.
• While significant strides have been made, challenges persist, such as the underrepresentation of women in senior management roles.
• The department remains committed to addressing these issues and ensuring women’s full participation in decision-making processes.

The Department of Social Development (DSD) today commemorated Public Service Women Management Week (PSWMW) with a gathering of senior female managers at the Anew Hotel in Pretoria. The session, convened by Director-General Mr. Peter Netshipale, comes as South Africa celebrates 30 years of democracy, offering an opportunity to reflect on the strides made in women’s empowerment and development since 1994. PSWMW, held annually during the last week of August, provides a vital platform for evaluating progress towards gender equality and the empowerment of women in the public service.

This year’s session was spearheaded by the department’s Gender and Women Empowerment Directorate, which assessed the implementation of the government’s 8-Principle Action Plan—a policy introduced to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment in the public service. Launched in 2007 by the then Minister of Public Service and Administration, the 8-Principle Action Plan was born out of a Public Service Commission report highlighting gaps in gender mainstreaming. The report revealed a lack of understanding and incorporation of gender mainstreaming into the planning, monitoring, and budgeting processes of departments. Heads of departments were therefore tasked with driving gender equality through these principles.

As the country reflects on 30 years of democracy, Ms. Bawinile Zungu, Acting Director for Gender and Women Empowerment at DSD, delivered an insightful address during the session. Zungu acknowledged the progress made since 1994, noting that women have risen to leadership roles across various sectors of society. However, she emphasised that substantial work remains in closing the gender gap and ensuring women take their rightful place at all levels of society.

“While more women today have access to opportunities across the spectrum, there are still many challenges that continue to hold them back,” Zungu said.

“According to a United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals study, it will take 140 years for women to be equally represented in positions of power and leadership in the workplace.”

She further noted that despite South Africa’s remarkable progress over the past three decades, significant disparities persist. Men continue to dominate the labour market, particularly in management roles.

“South Africa has passed a number of progressive laws dedicated to gender equality, eliminating discrimination in employment, training, and recruitment based on gender,” she said, emphasising the importance of these legal frameworks in advancing women’s roles in leadership.

Zungu also highlighted South Africa’s commitment to providing equal education to girls and boys, while acknowledging the strides made in LGBTQI+ rights.

 “Although we have much further to go, we have worked to overcome prejudice throughout society,” she added. She noted that close to half of the Members of Parliament, judges, and magistrates in South Africa are now women, and more than 60% of public servants are female.

However, the issue of women predominantly occupying lower ranks in the public service remains. Zungu highlighted that while women have steadily increased their representation in the public service since 2001, more women tend to join at lower ranks, with fewer making it to senior management levels. Nevertheless, between 2011 and 2021, the percentage of women in senior management rose from 58.2% to 62.3%.

DSD’s Director for Organisational Design and Human Resource Planning, Ms. Amanda Vokwana, provided a detailed update on the department’s progress in meeting employment equity targets, with a focus on ensuring women’s full participation in decision-making. She reported that as of July 2024, the department had a total headcount of 706 staff members including minister and deputy minister, with 82 officials occupying senior management roles . Of these, 51% are women, surpassing the 50% equity target set by the government.

However, Vokwana pointed out challenges affecting recruitment, especially for persons with disabilities, due to cost containment measures imposed by the National Treasury.

“Currently, we have 12 officials who have declared their disabilities, making up 1.7% of the workforce. However, the freeze on recruitment has negatively impacted the department’s ability to hire more individuals, particularly those with disabilities,” she explained.

Reflecting on the past three decades of democracy, the session emphasized the continued commitment required to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment within the public service. While significant progress has been made, particularly in increasing the representation of women in senior management, much work remains to ensure gender equity across all levels. The discussions highlighted the need for sustained efforts to address the challenges still facing women, especially in leadership roles, and to create an inclusive public service that reflects the values of equality and opportunity for all.