Gender equality

Gender equality is entrenched in the South African Constitution, and women’s empowerment is a priority of the post-apartheid government. However, achieving gender equity remains a challenge. Even before Covid-19, impediments to women’s empowerment and gender equity persisted. Women are oppressed in various ways; the differences among them in terms of race, class, ethnicity, and sexuality help explain the extent of their marginalization. Government interventions during the Covid19 pandemic sought to ensure that gains in women’s empowerment and gender equity would not be eroded. However, while some government interventions referred to women and gender, most regulations used gender-neutral language and so amplified women’s marginalisation. Women’s already marginal position in the economy also meant that few could access the various government measures intended to alleviate the impact of the pandemic. Overall, the Covid-19 pandemic had a particularly negative effect on women in terms of employment, gender-based violence, and access to housing and health services. Gender mainstreaming of government interventions needs to be operationalized in a way that shows how key variables in women’s lives intersect in complex ways to shape their experience of exclusion and marginalisation. It is no longer feasible to continue using the single lens approach that identifies patriarchy as the only basis of women’s oppression and gender inequality, while ignoring deeply entrenched racial inequality. There is an urgent need to understand the differences among women in South Africa and to take these differences into account when implementing programmes and interventions during disasters such as the Covid-19 pandemic. Note that any conclusions on the strengths and limitations of the Covid-19 response are still preliminary and will be refined based on stakeholder consultations and feedback from readers.