Gender mainstreaming or malestreaming?

Participants at a Gender and Media Diversity (GMDC) seminar on Mainstreaming or malestreaming: Gender@work in organisations” have urged gender movements to involve men as equal partners in addressing gender inequalities. The older women in the movement should also mentor young girls so that they can close the intergenerational gap in the achievements made thus far to empower women and girls.

The GMDC hosted the discussion during the Third Gender Justice and Local Government Summit. Representatives from local government Centres of Excellence, gender activists, donors and the media attended the seminar. They acknowledged that gender organisations in the region were facing an uphill task in achieving their goals because they efforts lack depth in addressing the root causes of inequalities. The dwindling funds for women’s organisations and a disintegrated movement are also not making it any better.

Participants said while legislation and policies advance the gender equality cause, there is need to focus efforts on changing the mindsets of women and men, girls and boys. They further highlighted that society needs to be educated about gender equality issues so that they can appreciate gender mainstreaming.

Trevor Davies of the African Fathers Initiative, said lack of a coordinated approach is making the battle to change attitudes harder. He further added that, “Newer generation of women are very energetic but they lack theoretical grounding in gender issues. Without the knowledge of the older women who pioneered gender equality work, the women’s movement may die,” said Davies. He underscored the need for the older generation to work with young women to ensure continuity and efficiency. Davies also highlighted that fatherhood is one area that activists should engage with in the struggle to encourage gender mainstreaming in many organisations.

Mbuyiselo Botha of Sonke Gender Justice Network, said true gender equality and freedom could be achieved by showing men that there could be no peace when a majority of the world’s citizens- women- are oppressed. “We need to encourage men to raise their voices on the matter. An example is the case of Afrikaners; they were not going to be free as long as black people were in bondage. The same concept on race should be applied to the struggle for equality between women and men. We are never truly emancipated until everyone is free,” he said.

Botha also expressed his dismay at the high incidences of violence against women in South Africa saying, “South Africa has become the rape capital of the world. Men rape women with impunity simply because they can. We need to create a South Africa in which women do not look over their shoulders every time fearing they could get raped anytime,” said Botha. Statistics from the Gender Links The war at home: Gender Based Violence Indicators, Gauteng Report revealed that 51% of women in this province have experienced gender-based violence. Preliminary findings from the Western Cape and Kwazulu Natal research show that 45% and 36% of women have experienced GBV in these provinces respectively.

Gender mainstreaming and gender budgeting is another concept that was discussed at this seminar with participants highlighting what it means to ensure that resources are shared equally without disadvantaging any group.

A participant from Zimbabwe, said gender mainstreaming often meets stiff resistance from men who feel they could lose their positions if they empower women. “Change cannot happen overnight because we are fighting to alter mindsets. Men often develop strategies to frustrate women who seek to be empowered. If we take men on board as equal partners and understand gender mainstreaming better, there would be more progress,” she said.

Monique Rakotoanosy from Madagascar said women held positions of authority mainly as figureheads in her country. She said the gender agenda has not moved forward because there are women’s and gender organisations that do not see eye to eye. “The women’s organisations are critical of the gender ones. There are still misconceptions about gender that need to be demystified before progress can be made,” she said.

Summing up the discussion, Gender Links’ Chief Executive Officer, Colleen Lowe Morna said organisations that work with statistics that are not gender disaggregated often arrive at the wrong conclusion that both sexes benefit from their activities. She said research has shown that gender mainstreaming cannot be successful without a strong influential person to champion it. “Any institutions that claims to be mainstreaming gender in its work should have a clear adopted policy with targets and timelines,” Lowe-Morna said.

Temba Dube is a journalsit with the Chronicle in Zimbabwe. This article is part of GL Opinion and Commentary Service, special news and analysis series of the 2012 Gender Justice and Local Government Summit