Insights
GLOOMY PREDICTION FOR GENDER PARITY IN SOUTH AFRICA: IT’S TIME TO LEGISLATE GENDER QUOTAS The DA’s first female candidate is at number 7, and she is the only woman in the top 10. Although the ANC’s first female candidate ranks 4th, the ANC’s top 10 candidates characterise the gender parity rule. The smallest political parties, namely BOSA, RISE Mzansi, Patriotic Alliance, ATM including the EFF, are leading in terms of entrusting their number 2 positions to female candidates.
This means if any of the leaders of these parties were to die or become incapacitated, we would instantly have 6 political parties in parliament that are led by women. These same parties seemingly have a 50% gender quota rule, based on the analysis of their top 10. The worst performing political party in terms of women’s representation is the Pan-African Congress of Azania (PAC). As notable in the chart below, the first female candidate on their parliamentary list is ranked 16th.
Dr Dikeledi Mokoena is a lecturer, Department of Anthropology and Development Studies, Faculty of Humanities, UJ. It’s become very clear that the ANC will no longer hold the status it occupied in the previous national assembly. Yesterday the CSIR predicted fluctuations of seat allocations for various political parties and the ANC is predicted to lose 70 seats, mostly to new contenders in the game. See table below. The predictions made by Prof Pravesh Debba have significant implications on South Africa’s gender parity in political leadership. Gender quotas are meant to guarantee a certain percentage of women in power and South Africa’s political environment remains largely male dominated and increasingly hostile to women’s participation in the public sphere. In this election cycle, the only political parties that have a progressive gender quota approach is the EFF and RISE Mzansi. These two political parties submitted Zipper/ Zebra candidate placement lists to the IEC. The Zipper/Zebra gender quota rule is simply exemplified by RISE Mzansi and EFF’s decisions to alternate its male and female candidates in their lists. On the other hand, the leading opposition party DA, submitted seat allocations that exhibit patriarchal norms because the candidates who dominate their top 10 are male.
I HOPE THE ANC, BOSA, PA, RISE MZANSI, ATM, EFF AND AL JAMA AH WILL ADVANCE THE CALL FOR A LEGISLATED GENDER QUOTA SYSTEM
BECAUSE THEY HAVE ALREADY EXHIBITED COMMITMENT TO WOMEN’S REPRESENTATION IN THEIR TOP 10S.
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ALUMNI IMPUMELELO
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