Upskilling women should have been a primary focus in developing economy
AS WE enter the month of August in which the country celebrates women, the constitutional values of non-sexism and equality seem to have reached a state of paralysis that has taken hold of various institutions that should promote the full participation of women in all aspects of life.
Statistics SA puts the estimates of the 2018 midyear population at 57.73 million and about 51% of this is female. Despite this outlook, there is still a huge disparity between men and women in terms of their participation in the economy of the country. After a number of progressive pieces of legislation and landmark judgments aimed at restoring women’s dignity, we are still seriously lagging behind.
The snaking queues of women who are beneficiaries of social grants that are the order of the day at the end of each month are testament that not sufficient investment has been made to improve the lot of many women.
However, this does not deny that a great number of women have been extricated from the bondage of perpetual dependency. Rather, it is indicative that a great potential that should be used to contribute to building the country’s economy has not been taken full advantage of.
In a country that is in desperate need of skills, the upskilling of women should have been our primary focus, unlocking the kind of inclusive development that the country needs. And this will go a long way in resolving some of the major challenges that beset our economy. Chief among these is the issue of water, which remains a concern for most of the people.
The skills in the water sector are being stretched to the limit as the country contends with chronic skills shortages coupled with the effects of climate change.
Thus, there should be an acknowledgement that women have not formed part of the army of professionals that can be tapped into to provide solutions to many of the seemingly intractable challenges that face our developing economy.
To give impetus to transforming our society, women remain critical role-players. The upshot of providing skills to women will be that we do not only achieve the necessary gender transformation, but also use this inclusivity to address some of our most pressing challenges.
The Women Incubator Programme, which is the brainchild of the Department of Water and Sanitation, is one of the cornerstones of important transformative changes that are in line with the imperative of the democratic constitution.
This programme is designed to ensure that women are given opportunities to participate in the water and sanitation sector.
Through this programme, women will provide services that are required by the sector. It cannot be true that it is only men who have the ability to provide such services. Women are able and willing to showcase their potential. Providing equal opportunities to women in the sector will transform it, empowering women to not only become beneficiaries of the sector’s services.
By its very nature, the programme is a step away from the paralysis of rhetoric that characterises some of the good initiatives that seek to transform our country. It concretely divorces itself from the essentialist feminist thinking that because of their biological make-up, women cannot measure up to the role of their male counterparts.
The programme, which is also aimed at identifying and addressing the key gaps between the current and expected future scenario for the participation of women-owned businesses, is made up of three projects: the Women in Water Entrepreneurship Incubator, the Mentorship Project and the Women in Water Forum.
Through investment in women by means of programmes of this nature, we are sure to collapse the walls that prevent them from dealing a blow to the triple challenges of poverty, inequality and unemployment.
By dealing decisively with the skewed business opportunities in favour of men, we will not be merely pontificating about the necessary role of women in the future of our country, but will be concretely creating opportunities for realising the transformative values of our developing nation.
This, in turn, will ensure that the celebration of the Women’s Month does not ring hollow.
Sithole is communicator at the Department of Water and Sanitation (Gauteng region)