Women's Day - balancing gains and fears

South Africa celebrates Women's Day on Wednesday, marking 50 years since a historic march by 20,000 women against apartheid laws, but the remarkable progress made in gender equality has failed to extinguish a resilient culture of violence and abuse against women.

In a country where racial and sexual equality are enshrined in the constitution, and women occupy premier positions in both government and business, a female chief executive will probably be too scared to walk alone in the evening.

"We shouldn't underestimate the tremendous gains that have been made in terms of formal equality since 1956, but these gains have yet to translate into improved living conditions for all women," said Carrie Shelver, spokesperson for People Opposing Women Abuse (POWA), a group dedicated to ending violence against women and supporting survivors.

"There remains a tragically high level of violence and rape against women in this country and it shouldn't be forgotten, especially when we are marking Women's Day and celebrating women's achievements," she added.

On 9 August 1956, thousands of women of all races from across South Africa staged a boisterous challenge to the apartheid government, marching to the Union Buildings in Pretoria, the capital, to demand an end to laws that violated their individual rights and liberties.

Fifty years later, women make up a third of the country's parliamentarians and 43 percent of President Thabo Mbeki's cabinet, holding key government posts such as foreign affairs and minerals and mining; Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka could one day become the first woman to lead South Africa.

Women also head major corporations, but gains in the corporate world have been less dramatic than those in the political arena, and harder to maintain: a 2004 study revealed that only 7 percent of senior managers in South Africa were female.

"The number shocked many people and it quickly climbed to 19.8 percent - a level better than that in Canada, Australia or the United States - but it has since slipped back to only 16.8 percent," said Tina Thomson, CEO of the Businesswomen's Association (BWA) of South Africa. "The problem is that support systems for women do not yet exist, either in businesses or in the home. Women are as competent and qualified as men, but they still lack resilience to hold on to their position."

SCAR OF VIOLENCE

Belying this shining façade of equality and constitutional commitment to human rights is the scar of violence that makes the country one of the world's most dangerous.

South Africa sadly boasts one of the highest rates of rape in the world and its medical infrastructure is struggling to cope with soaring levels of HIV/AIDS.

A culture of violence born of years of political struggle against apartheid may perhaps explain the high levels of cruelty towards women, but women's groups also point a finger at patriarchal tradition.

"We've fallen into the trap of formal equality, of saying we have women business and political leaders, but too many women still go home to oppression," said Shelver. "We need to change the mindset in the country; we need to transform institutions - it's not only about writing new laws and thinking that's enough."

The endemic culture of violence could be one reason women fail to reach and maintain top positions in the business world. "A group of women CEOs were asked what keeps them awake at night, and every single one said it wasn't a workplace issue, but a security issue," Thomson said.

"They were worried about getting home safely; they were worried about feeling safe in their home and about their children's safety - imagine how much more productive they could be if they didn't have to worry so much about personal security."

Changing South Africa's culture may prove more difficult than amending its constitution. Former Deputy President Jacob Zuma outraged opponents and women's groups with his remarks when he recently stood trial for allegedly raping a 31-year-old family friend.

Zuma was acquitted after he admitted to having consensual sex with the woman, even though he knew she was HIV-positive. He invoked "Zulu culture" to explain why he had slept with her, angering anti-AIDS campaigners, who said such a high-ranking politician should be a better role model in a country wracked by AIDS.

Organisers of the Women's Day celebrations said true equality and respect for women was still elusive, but the event would help keep the issue on the political agenda.

"This is a call to all South African women to march with us during this 'Age of Hope' and attend to the unfinished and complex task of ensuring true equality, development and peace," the ANC Women's League said in a statement. "We must continue to pay attention to the acts of violation against women, children, people with disabilities and the elderly."

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