Source: The New Age
Former first lady Graca Machel has called for more women representation in the sectors of the economy to fast-track transformation in the country.
She said that women were still lagging behind in the economic sphere even though it has been 18 years after the country gained democracy.
Speaking at the Desmond Tutu Peace Lecture at the University of the Western Cape on Tuesday night, Machel said while there had been progress in the political sphere much still needed to be done on the economic front.
She said that the country had the best Constitution in the world, but it was still lagging behind on women economic transformation.
Machel said South Africa had come a long way politically and this means that the country needs to move fast to address women participation in the economic sector.
She said politically the country was sound with, 42% women being MPs. But this was still not sufficient, as more women needed to occupy seats in Parliament, she said.
The fight must also move to include women in the townships and rural areas, she said.
She said that only a fraction of women are in the driving seat at big companies yet, women constitute 48% of the workforce.
She said that even though women comprise 48% of the labour force the issue of equal pay does not apply.
Women were not treated the same way that men are treated in the workplace.
She said the issue of gender balance in the economy remains one aspect that still needs to be fast-tracked.
Machel also called for social stability within the family structure.
She said many families were broken and this leads to social instability resulting in the rape of women and children.
She said the modern family was broken with so many issues affecting children including their upbringing.
The issue of sexual violence has become a daily diet in society with no one to deal with it, she said. The time has come for society to address the issue of fractured families.
She said in order to deal with the issue of sexual violence against women and children, the government needed to be more proactive.
The government only focuses on the primary campaign of 16 Days of Activism for No Violence Against Women and Children, she said, adding that the fight against sexual abuse should be escalated and be conducted on a daily basis.