Is Gender Equality Still an Issue? Tensions and Contradictions Embeding the Work of Feminists Today

Equality between men and women exists when both sexes are able to share equally in the distribution of power and influence. Although the gender gap in labour market participation has narrowed, gender differences in everyday experiences persist in developing countries. This article reviews the place of feminists today in the advancement of gender equality in the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region and measures taken by the Member States to address the issue. The article is based on secondary data collected through review of studies, reports, policy documents and surveys from various data sets from national, regional and international organisations. Key issues with reference to unequal power relations investigated include economic empowerment, educational empowerment, political empowerment and land tenure empowerment. Conclusions drawn from the review indicate tensions and contradictions that embed the work of feminists and this has serious implications on the achievement of gender equality in society. Although States, through feminist organizations, have put in place legislation and other measures to outlaw gender inequality, practices continue unabated due to persistence of cultural attitudes, lack of capacity, resources and commitment among the implementers. Gender equality implies a society in which women and men enjoy the same opportunities, outcomes, rights and obligations in all spheres of life (Juru 2002). A critical aspect of promoting gender equality is the empowerment of women, with a focus on identifying and redressing power imbalances and giving women more autonomy to manage their own lives. Experience has shown that addressing gender equality and women’s empowerment requires strategic feminist organisational interventions at all levels of programming and policy-making (Kerr 1994). The Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1948 (UDHR) provides in Article 27 that everybody has the right to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and share in scientific advancement and its benefits (UNICEF 2007). This is repeated in similar words in Article 15 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights of 1966 and Article 17(2) of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACRWC) adopted in 1981 (SADC 2005). The preamble of the ACRWC emphasises the need to discourage practices that are not consistent with the obligations and duties contained in the Charter. In 2001, The UN General Assembly passed a resolution to the effect that states had a responsibility of developing policies and programmes that outlaw traditional or customary practices affecting women and girls (Kerr 1994; Hansen 2007).