Gender Transformation Symposium

GENDER TRANSFORMATION SYMPOSIUM REPORT

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Held by

Organised by Nonkosi Tyolwana Director: Transformation, Social Cohesion And Diversity Professor Paul Green Chairperson of the Institutional Transformation Forum (Itf):

Report prepared by Mark Paterson

contents 1

Introduction

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The role of the Transformation Managers Forum (TMF) of Universities of South Africa (USAf) in gender transformation

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The role of universities in the 25-year review on women’s emancipation and gender equality

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Gender and social cohesion

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Importance of gender transformation in Higher Education

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Policymaking to address sexual and gender-based violence in the post-school system

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Supporting LGBTQIA+ people within the Higher Education system

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Manhood and masculinity

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Addressing masculinity in the workplace environment

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Student voices: On gender equality and inclusivity

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Postgraduate research on gender mainstreaming

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11.1 Research 1: The role of employee communication in a University of Technology to advocate for and promote dialogue on gender equity

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11.2 Research 2: The importance of integrating Information and Communications Technology (ICT) in women-owned businesses

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Women’s research and documentation: Lessons and suggestions

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Panel discussion in gender gap in research: Some initiatives and future directions

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Modjaji books and collaboration with universities

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Bottom-up approaches to fostering gender transformation

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Communicating gender transformation

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Improving Cput’s focus on gender transformation

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B-BBEE

Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment

CEDAW

Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women

CEE

Commission for Employment Equity

CGE

Commission for Gender Equality

CETCs

Community Education and Training Colleges

CoP

Community of Practice

COSATU

Congress of South African Trade Unions

DISCHO

Discrimination and Harassment Office

EEA

Employment Equity Act

FAIFE

Free Access to Information and Freedom of Expression

GBV

Gender-Based violence

IFLA

International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions

ILO

International Labour Organization

KPIs

Key Performance Indicators

LRA

Labour Relations Act

LGBTQIA+

Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, Asexual

MTSF

Medium-Term Strategic Framework

NDP

National Development Plan

NPC

National Planning Commission

NIHSS

National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences

PEPUDA

Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act

SAWID

South African Women In Dialogue

STEM

Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics

SGBV

Sexual and Gender-Based Violence

SOGIE

Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Expression

SAHRC

South African Human Rights Commission

SADC

Southern African Development Community

StatsSA

Statistics South Africa

SRC

Student Representative Council

SDGs

Sustainable Development Goals

TVET

Technical and Vocational Education and Training

TMF

Transformation Manager’s Forum

UN

United Nations

UNESCO

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

USAf

Universities of South Africa

ZWRC

Zimbabwe Women’s Resource Centre and Network

Preface by Professor Paul Green, Chairperson of the Institutional Transformation Forum (Itf) This CPUT Gender Transformation Symposium is significantly held during women’s months and • Almost 63 years since the 20 000 women marched to the Union Buildings to challenge the oppressive system that had deepened inequalities in terms of race, gender and has contributed to the current triple challenges of inequality, unemployment and poverty; • 25 years since the dawn of the democratic dispensation in South Africa; and • 25 years since the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action was ratified by South Africa.

Our Council has also approved the Institutional Transformation Statement on Gender-based Violence, a response to demonstrate and ensure zero-tolerance on GBV. Our Executive Management has also approved the Institutional Statement on Transformation, Diversity and Social Cohesion as a commitment in promoting transformation and zero-tolerance to sexism, racism, xenophobia, homophobia and other related “isms’ phobia.

Research suggests that the university environment is seen as one of the least safe places to be “out” at university, even more so than sports clubs, which have traditionally been seen as most problematic. We are also aware of the various challenges contributing to barriers to gender transformation such as gender

based violence, unsafe and exclusive spaces and lack of gender sensitive amenities are significant barriers to gender transformation. This symposium is the first in a series of important consultative activities towards the development of our gender equality and inclusivity policy.

Your inputs therefore would go a long way in influencing and shaping our studentcentered policy and shaping our strategic plan in mainstreaming in enhancing our “One Smart” CPUT. Research also indicates that although our academic colleagues are not necessary homo, bi or transphobic in attitude, they sometimes do not have the confidence to explore and challenge discriminatory comments or attitudes in the classroom.

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This can leave to many lecturers feeling they might “get it wrong” – and so they do nothing. This of course make our students to feel disappointment or depressed and feel that our environment is “homophobic/ exclusive” of course, if there are there are no intervention mechanism in place, we are bound to face challenges of low participation, fear, anger, drop-outs, and resulting in unstable and less welcoming environ.

Empirical evidence also suggests that both interpersonal and institutional discrimination can cause people to stay “in the closet” – because of worries about negative responses to their sexual orientation or gender identity. This causes chronically high levels of stress, known as “minority stress” – which is essentially stress experienced by stigmatized minority groups.

This gender transformation symposium will make a contribution in strengthening our gender equality and inclusivity policy. It will assist us to unpack, define and contextualize gender equality and inclusivity including the impact on student, staff and knowledge production across the university.

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1 Introduction

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The context for the present debate about gender transformation at universities is shaped by a history of progressive engagement on issues of inequality, including in relation to gender and race, in South Africa. In 1956, 20 000 women marched to the Union Buildings to challenge an oppressive political system – apartheid – which had deepened inequalities in terms of race and gender and has left a legacy of inequality, unemployment and poverty with which the country continues to grapple. In 1994, as the democratic dispensation dawned, women from across the world forged the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action which was ratified by South Africa. Against this background, the higher education landscape is in the midst of a social awakening in which concerns over workplace, academic and career equality, as well as sexual harassment and implicit biases have come to occupy a central place in the discourse.

Broadly, the view has been adopted that higher education institutions and colleges should promote equal access for men and women to tertiary education; eliminate gender disparities in the education workplace; produce safe, nonviolent, inclusive and effective learning environments; and expand the number of scholarships and academic opportunities, including for women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects.

The Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) which launched a series of probes into universities from last year, found that there was insufficient funding for universities’ gender-based programmes; insufficient action to promote gender equity in recruitment of staff and in the decisionmaking processes of university councils; and a lack of gender-sensitive amenities.

In particular, the Commission identified a lack of consultation with the LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer,

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intersex, asexual and other terms, such as non-binary and pansexual) community in general and on issues relating to establishing inclusive bathrooms and living areas. The Commission further found that black women were the most affected by inadequate policies and actions to promote gender equity.

The CGE investigations followed the publicisation of a series of incidents of Gender-Based violence (GBV) and sexual harassment at universities. The Commission has acknowledged the scale of the violence and the seriousness of the threats faced by women students and staff on campuses, particularly at student residences and in the shape of harassment by male staff members.

Universities have been called to account on these issues. Accordingly, a number of activists have promoted the idea that a women’s movement should be created to push for institutional and socio-cultural

This section draws on a presentation made by Professor Paul Green, Chair: Institutional Transformation Forum, CPUT; a presentation made by Tamara Mathebula, Chairperson: Commission for Gender Equality (CGE); and comments made by Nonkosi Tyolwana, Director: Transformation, Cohesion and Social Diversity, CPUT, and others at a Gender Transformation Symposium held by the Cape Peninsula University of Technology (CPUT) on 26-27 August 2019.

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change to implement gender equality and equity in the higher education sector and more broadly beyond the campus gates.

Such a movement would profile the levels of violence and injustice experienced by women, as well as the structural barriers that continue to marginalize women, facilitating discrimination against them and preventing them from realizing equal socio-economic opportunities. Various views of how such a movement should be constituted have been suggested.

In seeking to promote gender equity, universities and colleges, which are diverse in their missions and capacities, may adopt various approaches. Some have transformation offices, others prefer a diffusion model, in which everyone – all members of staff and students – should act as change agents. In relation to the actual capacity to address gender-equity issues, it is also important to note that universities of technology are generally not equipped with the psycho-social knowledge and support services that can be found at comprehensive universities, which have social science faculties, and lack the means to reach each and every student in and outside residences. In this regard, adopting a more diffused approach to transformation, compared with the more centralized approach that may be adopted at comprehensive universities, makes a virtue of necessity.

The socio-economic and cultural challenges faced by tertiary education institutions in promoting gender equality and equity are shaped by patriarchy.

Communities raise children. If a student or staff member is escaping abuse at home and seeking to overcoming trauma, they may come to their tertiary education institution in the hope that they can

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overcome these challenges. Universities and colleges have a responsibility to support them in this.

At CPUT, a participatory, engaged approach to promote a more conducive learning environment has been adopted.

The university has taken the view that this kind of approach can help to deepen democracy, strengthen social accountability and promote equity and social justice both within the institution and more widely. Accordingly, CPUT has sought to adopt a diffusion model for its transformation work in which students and staff become change agents for inclusivity.

The underlying principle is that espoused

by American diplomat and activist Eleanor Roosevelt, who said that human rights begin in the “small places” – the home, the neighborhood, the lecture room, the classroom, the residence, the sports field, the office – and if they have no meaning in such spaces, they have no meaning anywhere.

The implementation of human rights must be undertaken through genuinely democratic processes. As the Ghanaian scholar-diplomat and late former UN Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, once said: “Today’s real borders are not between nations, but between powerful and powerless, free and fettered, privileged and humiliated.” Thus, the work of gender transformation should be everyone’s business in all spaces at all times. Since only about 10% of students stay in residences, with the rest lodging elsewhere in local communities, broader gender transformation in their daily lives can only be achieved by canvassing their inputs and fostering their engagement as ambassadors of women’s emancipation both inside and beyond the campus gates.

Accordingly, the Student Representative Council (SRC) and peer-education officers who seek to mentor and support students have a crucial role to play in advocating for gender-inclusive change, including by Identifying students with socio-economic challenges and reporting on incidents on the ground and producing comprehensive and innovative solutions for addressing these, as well as by representing the interests of the whole student body, providing a voice for the otherwise voiceless.

In this context, CPUT’s Council has approved an Institutional Transformation Statement on Gender-Based Violence (GBV), demonstrating its zero-tolerance stance on GBV. The university’s Executive Management has also approved an Institutional Statement on Transformation, Diversity and Social Cohesion, indicating the institution’s commitment to promoting transformation and its activist opposition to sexism, racism, xenophobia, homophobia and related intolerances. The university seeks to encourage everyone to speak out against racism, gender-based violence, sexism, ableism, homophobia, xenophobia, religious intolerance, language intolerance and other related prejudices.

education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”. The goal sets a number of targets to be achieved by 2010, including: • The provision of equal access for all women and men to affordable, quality technical, vocational and tertiary education including at universities; • The acquisition by all learners of the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, and a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity; and • The construction and upgrading of education facilities that are child- and disability-friendly and gender sensitive and provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments.

CPUT has also adopted the approach of seeking partnerships with government bodies and the private sector to change the dominant, patriarchal narrative within society at large and forge and implement gender-sensitive policies, strategies and actions both within the institution and more broadly. For example, the university’s gender mainstreaming policy takes into account the aims of the United Nation’s (UN’s) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), in particular Goal 4 which seeks to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality

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2 The role of the Transformation Managers Forum (Tmf) of Universities of South Africa (USAf) in gender transformation 2

This is the summary of the presentation by George Mvalo, the Chairperson of the Transformation Manager’s Forum (TMF), a Transformation Community of Practice of USAf

The Universities of South Africa, which is governed by a Board comprising the ViceChancellors of the 26 public universities in the country, has sought to establish a Community of Practice(CoP) in the form of a) to drive the transformation agenda.

The work of this forum, which comprises Transformation Managers from across the public higher education sector, informs, and is informed by, USAf’s transformation strategic group which advises the ViceChancellors.

African languages which has sought to foreground the issue of African languages in knowledge production systems; and one on mathematics and the transformation challenges faced within this discipline. In addition, a Forum of Education Deans has been established under USAf, which also coordinates on issues of transformation in relation to pedagogy.

A key challenge in this work is the various approaches adopted to promoting transformation at individual universities, which are as diverse as the missions of these institutions. Some universities have preferred to establish central transformation offices to oversee the process, while others have adopted a diffusion model, under which all members of the institution, both staff and students, should act as agents of change.

USAf has encouraged institutions to develop their own self-monitoring transformation barometers to measure progress in the areas of teaching and learning; research and community engagement; and funding priorities.

In support of this goal, USAf is now advocating for the professionalization of transformation efforts in the sector and the establishment of appropriate monitoring and evaluation (M&E) capacity at higher education institutions to track the implementation and effectiveness or otherwise of their transformation plans.

USAf’s work on transformation has been bolstered by the establishment of two new Communities of Practice with the support of the TMF in 2015: one on

To this end, the organization’s annual conference in October 2019 considered: the production of institutional culture in South African universities and the limits of

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This section draws on a presentation made by George Mvalo, Chairperson USAf Transformation Managers Forum, and comments made by Nonkosi Tyolwana at the Gender Transformation Symposium held by CPUT on 26-27 August 2019.

transformation; transformation by design; and how universities are remaking and transforming themselves by embedding their practices in local contexts.

Within the context of such governance efforts, the TMF promoted gender equity and equality among staff and students and the need to address the issue of GBV within higher education institutions as key priorities in 2019. Myriad reports, including by the South African Commission for Employment Equity (CEE); the Commission for Gender Equality, which called on universities to explain their lack of gender equity; the International Labour Organization (ILO); the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC); and UN Women, have delivered the verdict that too little is being done to address the broad discrimination that women face in the workplace and the society at large.

In the higher education sector, fewer than five of the 26 Vice-Chancellors of public universities were women in 2019, and the vast majority of the deans and heads of department were men. The underlying reality is that although men have shown that they are not particularly effective in managing universities, they remain unwilling to share this responsibility more equitably with women. In response, to these concerns, USAf has made a number of significant inputs into national policy on gender equity and equality, as well as in relation to policies to address the issue of GBV An important aspect of USAf’s work in this area is its belief in the importance of promoting solidarity with women and situating this work within a South African context. It supports the establishment of

a movement and campaigns that oppose violence against women and seek the dismantling of the structural and normative barriers and injustices that foster gender discrimination and marginalization.

In particular, USAf supports womenled conversations about the forms of collaboration and action that are required to address gender inequity and GBV in universities more effectively.

In this regard, USAf is also addressing the issue of male dominance of academic positions at universities and the structural inequality that underpins this, which continues to be evident in the PhD and Masters pipeline. Accordingly, CPUT is seeking to engage USAf on the kind of mentoring system that should be established to support disadvantaged students who are interested in professional academic advancement.

In seeking to promote greater gender equity at universities, USAf has identified the importance of dismantling the conservative institutional culture that threatens to maintain the inequitable status quo among academics for another generation, setting a bad example for the broader society which tends to take its cue from higher education. Universities are notorious for being resistant to change and can behave like intransigent bureaucracies which are complicit in sustaining structural inequalities. However, if the institutional culture of these conservative spaces is not addressed, then the current generation of academics and managers will have failed in their duty to ensure that the higher education sector fulfils its mandate to operate on the cutting edge of innovation and social consciousness.

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3 The role of universities in the 25-year review on women’s emancipation and gender equality 3

This is the summary of the presentation by Professor Vivienne Taylor, a Commissioner in the National Planning Commission (NPC) and the Chair of the Presidential Review Committee on Women’s Emancipation and Gender Equality (WEGE)

There is an explosion in the daily violence that is being experienced by women, girls and members of the LGBTQI communities.

The fact that such violence is more pervasive in the poorest townships, periurban and informal areas of South Africa indicates that it is the most economically and socially deprived whose lives are at risk. The reality for women and girls and the majority of people who live under intolerable conditions of deprivation is that the political democratic dispensation introduced in 1994 has not yet resulted in significant improvements in their daily lives.

The structural impacts of apartheid and colonialism are still evident today in the way South African society remains divided along gender, race, class and spatial lines.

Economic inequality, racism, patriarchy and other forms of cultural domination and intolerance continue to inhibit efforts to promote the implementation of a shared vision of social transformation that should be implemented collectively as the basis for a new national compact.

In this regard, four key goals emerge: improving the lives of the poor majority; maintaining social stability; building a nation

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that is inclusive and non-discriminatory; and safeguarding the interests of women and the transformation of gender relations as a central interest of the state.

However, the pursuit of these goals may by undermined by the persistence of patriarchy, which, in its institutional forms and socio-cultural processes, has the ability to adapt and take on new forms which can appear to be part of a change agenda. The adaptive features of patriarchy can intersect with hierarchies of power within institutions to co-opt and contain the transformation agenda, particularly as this relates to women whose voices may be muffled.

In addressing the oppression experienced by women, it is important to acknowledge the kind and extent of the discrimination that they continue to face. The 2017 Poverty Trends Report produced by Statistics South Africa (StatsSA) indicated that black African females; children under the age of 17; people from rural areas; and those with no education are disproportionately affected by poverty.

More women than men live in poverty and women-headed households are almost

This section draws on a presentation made by Professor Vivienne Taylor, Commissioner, National Planning Commission and Chair: Presidential Review Committee on Women’s Emancipation and Gender Equality, and comments made by Nonkosi Tyolwana and others at the Gender Transformation Symposium held by CPUT on 2627 August 2019.

twice as likely to live in poverty as menheaded ones. In this regard, the expansion of social assistance in the 2000s, with most of the grants being received by women, has been the primary cause of income poverty decline. Meanwhile, gender-based discrimination and segregation in the labour market, which remains weakly regulated, has, in general, served to confine women to low-paid, relatively unproductive jobs that offer relatively little in terms of working conditions and access to social protection.

Women comprise a majority of small and micro business owners in South Africa but make up a minority of workers in the formal sector. Women are also more likely than men to be involved in unpaid work, with women comprising more than 55% of those involved in non-market activities in the second quarter of 2018.

Against this background, universities, as microcosms embodying broader societal norms, are liable to reproduce systems of gender discrimination and violence through their structural and institutional processes. In this regard, a particular concern in relation to GBV is that those in positions of authority or power who may be tasked with protecting women may be the violators of their bodily integrity and human rights. A further concern is that the use of homogenizing language to promote gender equity within academic and policymaking circles can distract from the harsh reality of the challenges of violence and discrimination being faced by women and girls on the ground. In also important to acknowledge that, in the context of continuing widespread and acute inequality and poverty, the discrimination and violence suffered by women and girls should not be characterized in simplistic terms as a binary kind of oppression, in which victims are pitched against perpetrators.

At the national government level, the issue of gender equity has been taken up by the National Planning Commission (NPC) and a Presidential Review Committee on Women’s Emancipation and Gender Equality which has been established with the support of President Cyril Ramaphosa.

These review initiatives are expected to provide independent evidence-based analysis on what has changed and what has remained the same or, in some instances, deteriorated since 1994. In reviewing the National Development Plan (NDP) 2030, the NPC has acknowledged that much has changed in the planning landscape since this roadmap was originally forged: some of the plan’s assumptions are obsolete; its baselines need to be reassessed; and new ideas need to be developed to fix gaps in the plan and address changes in the national, continental and global contexts. Women’s emancipation constitutes one of the key concerns that the NDP should address more comprehensively.

In engaging the higher education sector, the NPC has compiled a number of questions to which it is seeking responses from tertiary institutions: • What progress has been achieved in terms of women’s development and the transformation of gender relations?

• What are the obstacles to women’s transformation and gender equality?

• How should existing gaps in the transformation of gender relations and women’s emancipation be addressed within the NDP in the spheres of the economy, health, safety and security, and civil society?

• What needs to be done to ensure that goals and targets for women’s emancipation are progressively achieved?

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What should an implementation plan on women’s issues include? And how should implementation of the monitoring of this plan be enacted to hold those who are currently unaccountable accountable, including both state and non-state actors?

Meanwhile, the Presidential Review Committee on Women’s Emancipation and Gender Equality has brought together a 26-strong multi-disciplinary team to review the status of women’s rights and emancipation and gender equality in South Africa over the past 25 years and to develop plans to improve the quality of women’s lives in South Africa. The Committee is considering a number of fundamental issues such as gender power relations; and the meaning of intersectionality in addressing oppression.

The latter is a crucial concern in the kinds of narratives of rape that can be produced in South Africa, which may adopt a prejudicial focus on black men as perpetrators rather than acknowledging that gender-based violence is prevalent behind closed doors in both black and white households, and in both poor and rich communities, as has become increasingly evident. The Committee is further considering how agents for change may locate themselves within the public discourse, forging a new definition of what it means to be an African feminist.

On a practical level, the Committee is seeking to identify gaps in government documents and reports and analyses the implementation and impact of key policies, legislation and strategies on women’s emancipation and gender equality. It is also reviewing and analyzing a number of select interventions in this area. In its analysis

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of the state of women’s emancipation nationally, the Committee is further reviewing the National Gender Machinery and how this may be strengthened; and is producing recommendations for short(2019-2024), medium- (2019-2030), and long-term (2019-2045) plans to promote gender equity. In this regard, CPUT has been approached to partner the NPC and the Presidential Review Committee to produce work on the status of gender equity at universities.

In support of the national governmentsponsored efforts to promote women’s emancipation, universities may also make a number of further contributions. They can produce relevant, context-specific research; engage critically to place issues relating to gender and women on the national agenda; and act as think-tanks to highlight experiences that would otherwise not gain prominence, interrogating and sharpening the debate on issues affecting women and LGBTQIA+ communities.

Broadly, universities should seek to reclaim their rightful, progressive place in the public sphere, shaping the discourse and advocating particular policy positions to support women.

As an initial step, tertiary institutions can play an important role by conducting research on violations of gender rights, providing the evidence to back socialmovement activism and campaigns for alternative approaches to promoting gender equity. Evidence produced to high academic standards can be deployed to leverage the impacts of socialmovement activism for the comprehensive emancipation of women. Accordingly, universities may seek to publish policy briefs in support of efforts to produce

greater gender transformation. They may also compile an electronic database of existing and forthcoming research-based reports and publications on issues related to women’s emancipation and gender equality so that such knowledge and data is available for wider use. From a logistical perspective, the universities have been encouraged to contribute to the government-sponsored review process via written submissions and through expert roundtables and stakeholder engagements.

Universities can also promote a rightsbased approach to development in South Africa by adopting a progressive educational ethos. In this regard, they should be wary of limiting themselves to an instrumental approach to knowledge, which focuses on producing people with the appropriate skills for the marketplace.

In the context of neoliberal economic processes, the instrumental value of wealth generation tends to trump the importance of transmitting values and principles of transformation and respect for individual and collective human rights and diversity.

Thus, universities have a responsibility to try and promote the intrinsic value of education knowledge production as part of a process of lifelong learning which can enable human development and meaningful interactions more broadly, helping to support people in asserting their identities and their claims to human rights. Universities also need to be mindful of how knowledge is produced – which includes addressing issues around whose knowledge counts and the hierarchies of knowledge production, which can tend to entrench the status quo.

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4 Gender and social cohesion

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This is the summary of the presentation by Yaa Ashentewa Archer-Ngidi: Social Cohesion Advocate and Director: Afrikology Unit: Durban University of Technology (DUT)

Long-term efforts are required to produce genuine social cohesion and inclusion, which are unlikely to be achieved by this generation. The work entails redressing the inferiority complex with which black people have been burdened and reinstating their place in history – enabling them to feel comfortable in their own skins. Such work entails addressing the past and rewriting history so that the lies promoted by the proponents of systems such as colonialism and apartheid are corrected. In looking at issues such as creating more equitable workplaces, transforming the education system and promoting decolonization, Outcome 14 of the national government’s Medium-Term Strategic Framework (MTSF) 2016-2019 entitled Transforming Society and Uniting the Country5 produced 29 recommended outputs in five categories: • Fostering constitutional values • Promote the Bill of Responsibility, constitutional values and national symbols among children in schools; • Policy interventions to make families better able to foster values such as tolerance, diversity, non-racialism, nonsexism and equity; • Establish Constitutional Monday; • Popularize the Moral Regeneration Movement and the charter of good values;

Develop and implement constitutional rights awareness campaigns and programmes targeting the public with a focus on vulnerable and marginalized groups; including by • Celebrating the 20th anniversary of the Constitution; • Distributing slim line Constitutions to schoolchildren and Constitution booklets to citizens during national events; • Use national days as a platform for promoting constitutional values; • Equal opportunities, inclusion and redress; • Improve enforcement of the Employment Equity Act; • Change attitudes and behaviour in relation to gender issues and xenophobia; • Build non-racialism through community dialogues and the hosting of a national summit on action to combat racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance; • Increase multilingualism in the school environment; • Advise and support municipalities in mainstreaming of women, child-headed households and people living with disabilities in planning and budgeting processes;

4 This section is based on a presentation made by Yaa Ashantewa Archer-Ngidi, Social Cohesion Advocate, Durban University of Technology (DUT), at the Gender Transformation Symposium held by CPUT on 26-27 August 2019.

5 Accessed on 31 October 2019 at https://www.poa.gov.za/socialcohesion/Delivery%20Agreement/Outcome%20 14%20refined%20Nation%20Building%20MTSF%20Chapter.pdf

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Place artists in schools, promote and implement an oral history programme, and implement a national action plan against racism, xenophobia, sexism and related intolerances; Promoting social cohesion across society; Promote participation in sport and recreation; Provide mass participation opportunities in sporting, music and cultural activities; Advocate transformation in sport and recreation; Develop new, upgraded and rehabilitated sport and recreation through the Municipal Infrastructure Grant; Encourage communities to organize sporting events, leagues and championships; Develop talented athletes by providing them with opportunities to excel; Support high-performance athletes to achieve success in international sport; Green public spaces; Clean cities and towns; Promoting active citizenry and leadership; Improve participation in national and local government elections; Improve participation in school governing bodies elections; Improve participation in communitybased governance processes such as ward committee participation platforms/ meetings; Promote citizen-based monitoring of government service delivery; Promote social development structures like women’s forums, disability forums and youth forums; Fostering a social compact; and Craft a social compact for a more democratic, equal and prosperous society derived from a social cohesion summit.

In building a movement for black women, it is important to promote the idea that indignity and insults can no longer be accepted – and to communicate this principle in line with the central position traditionally occupied by women in African communities. According to the precepts of indigenous knowledge, women and men are both pillars of society, with women spiritually at the hub of the wheel of existence.

In African society, women are further viewed as the custodians of education.

Rather than building a women’s movement around abstract ideas of transformation, the movement should be founded on African principles, which stress inclusivity and the actual agency of women. Such an approach may entail women arriving first and taking the seats, so that the men are not at the head of the table. Such a strategy would emphasize “womancentrism” – the central role that women play in African society – rather than feminism, in order to achieve practical impacts which effectively engage men on the ground. In this regard, it is important that ordinary women are encouraged and supported in choosing their own agency, their own space, in their lives instead of being lectured on their imagined shortcomings by modern feminists.

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5 Importance of gender transformation in Higher Education 6

This is the summary of the presentation by Tamara Mathebula, the National Chairperson of the Commission for Gender Equality(CGE)

South Africa’s 1996 Constitution promotes equality and compliance with international treaties aimed at eliminating discrimination based on race, gender, sexual orientation, age, and disability. In line with the Constitution, the government promulgated the Promotion of Equality and Prevention of Unfair Discrimination Act (PEPUDA) of 2000, which prohibits gender-based discrimination and provides for remedies to protect people against such discrimination. The Act obliges those operating in the public domain to promote equality. South Africa is also a signatory to a number of international treaties, such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW); the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Declaration on Women; the African Union (AU) Protocol on the Rights of Women in Africa; and International Labour Organization conventions.

The ILO conventions seek to entrench gender equality in the workplace, for example, by insisting on equal pay for work of equal value, irrespective of gender; and the adoption of national policies to promote equal treatment in employment and recruitment and access to opportunities, including through vocational training, with a view to eliminating discrimination 6

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in this area. Equality in the workplace is also the subject of a range of domestic laws, including the Employment Equity Act (EEA) of 1996, which may be used as a yardstick to analyses the policies and practices adopted at tertiary institutions; the Labour Relations Act (LRA) of 1995; the Basic Conditions of Employment Act of 1997; the Skills Development Act of 1998; and the Broad-Based Black Economic Empowerment (B-BBEE) Act of 2003.

Employers are enjoined by these statutes to create equal employment opportunities for women and people with disabilities, as well as other disadvantaged groups, and to remove the barriers to their entry, advancement, development, remuneration and retention. The EEA: • Promotes skills development for the disadvantaged; • Established the Commission for Employment Equity to ensure employers promote equal opportunity and eliminate discriminatory hiring practices; • Makes employers responsible for training and developing women in the workplace; • Removes obstacles in relation to the promotion of women; • Obliges employers to narrow wage gaps between employees of different sexes who perform similar work; and

This section draws on a presentation made by Tamara Mathebula, Chairperson: CGE, and comments made by Sixolile Ngcobo, CGE, at the Gender Transformation Symposium held by CPUT on 26-27 August 2019.

•

Promotes flexible working hours, time off during pregnancy, and the improvement of maternity and childcare facilities.

As part of the National Gender Machinery, the Commission for Gender Equality is expected to pursue a constitutional mandate to promote gender discourses within the state by evaluating gender policies and practices in the world of work and to act as an advisory body to government and all employers, including in the private sector. In this regard, it has been observed that enforcing horizontal accountability from government has remained a challenge even though the state, as a provider of resources for, and arbiter of, social relations, is an ally in advancing the plight of women.

In November 2018, the CGE launched a series of hearings into the state of gender transformation at universities. In relation to its mandate to ensure gender equity in the workplace, the commission sought to review the vulnerabilities and risks experienced by women in institutions of higher learning – both as employees and students; and the general level of compliance by universities as employers with the obligations that flow from the specific provisions in labour legislation aimed at promoting equality or affirming the rights of women. The hearings also sought to review universities’ policies and efforts to include LGBTQIA+ people.

The terms of the hearings were also shaped by the Higher Education Act of 1996, which confers the government with powers to intervene in the higher education sector to support institutional

transformation plans; promote inclusiveness in the languages of instruction; ensure that universities are representative of the population; and foster sensitivity in relation to gender and disability. The hearings were initiated partly in response to data from media and elsewhere, as well as complaints coming into the commission itself alleging: incidents of academics seeking sexual favors in return for good marks; sexual harassment and gender-based violence at universities; a lack of inclusion of people with disabilities in senior management; and a failure to adopt comprehensive gender policies.

In investigating the universities, the CGE took account of the generally low status of women, particularly black women in South Africa, which is the product of long-term economic marginalization and inadequate access to education as a result of social ills. The CGE took note of how oppressive patriarchal and customary practices; high rates of violence and rape directed towards women and girls; and imposed and unshared caregiving roles have contributed to narrowing the range of opportunities available to women who experience these societal problems. A combination of these factors has reduced the opportunities available for women, particularly in rural areas, in relation to education, employment, and social mobility. In this regard, black women are disproportionately employed in low-paying and unskilled jobs and are significantly underrepresented in senior management and decision-making roles in both the public and private sectors.

The CGE concluded from the hearings it launched into universities from November

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2018 that there was little if any gender orientation provided for new students and staff; and no proper consultation on the development of policies and practices to meet the needs of LGBTQI people. In particular, bathrooms and living areas at universities were not inclusive, failing to address the needs of LGBTQI people.

The commission identified a significant gender and racial pay gap among staff, with black women faring particularly poorly.

Funding for gender-based programmes was inadequate. Women were insufficiently represented among the staff, most noticeably at the decision-making level in universities. The Commission further noted that heightened awareness of gender inequity and the issue of GBV could largely be attributed to the consciousnessraising activities of students as part of the #FeesMusFall movement launched in 2015.

To address these concerns, the CGE noted that gender indicators needed to be integrated into university staffing, teaching, research and management mechanisms; and a variety of gender measurement scales needed to be forged to guide implementers on what should be measured and what should be the targets and outcomes. Universities also needed to take action to provide qualitative data that would enable more effective analysis of gender roles within the institutions. Genderdisaggregated data and appropriate baselines for research on the topics of gender equity and gender equality needed to be produced; and groups and forums needed to be established to plan how to use this data. Institutions and departments needed to develop innovative solutions to source funding and promote programming on the basis of gender.

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The commission also highlighted the need to implement a gender focus in the recruitment, mentoring and retention of academic staff to curb the high turnover of female staff and to ensure a conducive work environment in which women can thrive. In addition, career succession plans needed to be forged and implemented which addressed gender disparities, as well as intersectional concerns relating to race and disability, among staff. Equity in STEM programmes was also tagged as an area of focus that needed to be addressed.

The CGE continues to partner with CPUT and other higher education institutions to promote intentional gender mainstreaming that has been tailored to their particular institutional circumstances. The commission also supports efforts to adopt a collective approach to promoting gender equality and equity across the sector, in particular through the establishment of a community of practice.

6 Policymaking to address sexual and gender-based violence in the post-school system 7

This is the summary of the presentation by Yaliwe Clarke, African Gender Institute: University of Cape Town (UCT)

Universities are still immersed in heteronormative ways of shaping experiences – at their residences, on their entry forms and in their bathrooms. The rise of social media has added a further online dimension to the dissemination of normative views, promoting cyber-bullying, while also creating new possibilities for countering such views. In this context, comprehensive institutional and social responses are required to address the prevalence of patriarchy on campuses.

Such responses must constitute more than a conversation with the university’s human resources (HR) department. It is also important, in challenging the norms that underpin oppression of women, to move away from the binary victim/perpetrator, good/bad approach, although this may be needed to implement legal processes. In seeking to foster gender transformation across society, it is important to provide comprehensive support for both victims and perpetrators, which includes looking at what leads a perpetrator to perpetrate in order to address the norms that underpin their behaviour.

In June 2019, a diverse group of scholars working and studying in higher education at the University of Cape 7

Town (UCT) and Stellenbosch University, including professors, lecturers, postgraduate researchers, and students at the undergraduate and graduate levels, produced a critique of a Policy Framework to Address Gender-Based Violence in the Post-School Education and Training System which had been published by the Department of Higher Education and Training (DHET) in April 2019 for public comment.

The critique sought a clear alignment of policy in this area with Afro-centric, radical, decolonial, feminist principles in order to promote institutional climates in which personal safety, protection, rapid response and the appropriate care of staff and students would be paramount. It advocated a policy that avoided blaming victims/survivors for not adequately protecting themselves. It advised that the document should centre on the pervasiveness of “rape culture” – a woman is raped every 26 seconds in South Africa and much of this violence is taking place on campus – in order to raise critical consciousness on transforming toxic patriarchal and heteronormative intersections of gender, sexuality, race, disability, age and class in higher education

This section draws on a presentation made by Yaliwe Clarke, African Gender Institute, UCT, entitled “Collective comments: Policy framework to address gender-based violence in the post-school education and training system, version 4.0”, at the Gender Transformation Symposium held by CPUT on 26-27 August 2019.

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institutions. It further sought a clear acknowledgment of the presence of patriarchal, racist, homophobic, and sexist values in the procedures and attitudes of higher education managers and academic staff as well as among student leaders and the broader student community.

For example, UCT was built to train white men of British descent to support the colonial administration. As a result, a bureaucratized and militarized culture was established. Given the continuing predominance of white men of British descent among the academic and management staff, many of the norms underpinning this culture, which is generally formal, alienating and hetero-normative, remain unchallenged.

The critique pressed for an acknowledgement of student efforts, including as part of the protest movements that broke out in 2015, in bringing the issue of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) on campuses to the attention of the public and exposing the extent of the problem. The critique advised the government to coordinate with students who have modelled useful approaches to survivor-centred responses to SGBV and with the student community more widely in order to forge effective policies on this issue.

Failure to adopt a comprehensive view of gender-based violence and sexual harassment can produce critical gaps in the system for responding to such cases.

For example, at UCT, students may be reluctant to approach the Discrimination and Harassment Office (DISCHO) to report that they have been violated. In the meantime, the alleged perpetrator’s behaviour will not have been addressed, which can lead to further incidents of 18

harassment and violence. In this regard, it is critical that the alleged perpetrator should be engaged as soon as possible with the aim of prevention – rather than delaying the process in order to secure punishment. In promoting prevention more widely, students and staff need to be inculcated with a nuanced understanding of what consent means.

For example, consent to sex is not granted on a one-off basis, it must be continual to be valid and may be withdrawn at any moment. In addition, consent cannot be considered to have been given under the influence of alcohol and drugs.

To promote a culture of prevention and respect for women, SGBV needs to be viewed as inherently problematic within the institution, just as, for example, plagiarism is. Significant resources and new ways of thinking are required to promote such a sea-change in attitudes on campus.

The critique produced in June 2019 advised that policymakers should use terminology that allows for an intersectional analysis of SGBV that names heterosexism, racism, classism and capitalism (and the ways in which they intersect) as systems of oppression that sanction and enable the prevalence of “rape culture” in higher education institutions. If the policy acknowledges the ways in which these systemic inequities intersect in shaping the experiences of survivors of SGBV, which may vary according to their different social positions and identifications, then it may produce refined approaches to offering assistance for these survivors. In particular, the policy should speak to the experiences of sexual violence that are a direct consequence of homophobia and transphobia.

The policy should conceptualize SGBV as a continuum along which a range of possible behaviours may take place. Along this continuum, the policy should point to forms of SGBV that occur via online platforms which are on the increase among young people who spend a lot of time on social media. The policy framework should further recognize how transactional sex can produce unsafe and coercive sexual practices among young people. Broadly, there should be a clear articulation of students’ constitutional rights to bodily integrity and an analysis of the multiple, complex ways in which power is abused by those in authority.

For example, the policy could commit higher education institutions to offering core courses on rape culture and SGBV and ensure that prevention education deals with the complex layers of socialization that people bring with them to university.

Students and staff can have certain preconceived ideas on rape culture and SGBV which might be ignorant and dangerous. The development of a critical consciousness on the issue is essential to address and prevent the kinds of violence between classmates, colleagues and students and academics, which may be informed and justified by oppressive norms.

In this regard, an understanding of the idea of affirmative consent needs to be widely shared during orientation weeks and in public-health messaging on campus.

Such education would also address other behaviours on the SGBV continuum – for example, by promoting understanding of when a sexual statement constitutes innuendo.

In order to empower women and prevent violence against them across the higher education sector, universities need to look at shifting critical consciousness – in

particular, by examining how individuals are socialized in a patriarchal and heteronormative society.

This critical consciousness needs to be established in order to transform toxic spaces, which have been created by entrenched attitudes. The DHET should fund the establishment of a dedicated team of trainers who can promote such critical consciousness at institutions across the sector. In addition, funds should be made available to support research at universities that can foster greater understanding of how the gender norms at these institutions are constituted and expressed.

An important practical concern in seeking to implement policies and practices aimed at preventing and responding to SGBV is that these may be impeded by the conservatism embedded in bureaucratic processes at higher education institutions.

This can happen at the logistical level.

For example, it may take years for the new forms required to implement revised policies to be approved and produced.

Such conservatism can also impact the willingness of staff to support progressive policies. For example, managers have been known to refuse to acknowledge and address cases of SGBV for fear of the alleged perpetrator embarking on a legal case against the university. Universities have been known to priorities “managing risk”, with some managers refraining from providing adequate support for survivors, or forcing them into mediation processes with alleged perpetrators as a result.

In this regard, it is crucial that SGBV policy focusses primarily on responding to the needs of the survivors/victims, which entails training and hiring designated people to interact with them, including statement-takers; HR staff; peer supporters; student faculty advisers; and 19

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counsellors. The DHET should allocate resources to ensure the provision of such support. Otherwise, under-resourced gender and transformation units within the institutions, which may be required to implement SGBV policies, will be unable to cope; and universities will likely fall back on a “tick-box” approach that is more about improving and protecting their public image than making substantive shifts in heteropatriarchal, racist, and capitalist cultures.

Importantly, the policy framework should empower rather than disadvantage the survivors/victims. Facilitators need to support the survivors/victims in accessing immediate redress, for example, by telling a professor in an institution steeped in hierarchical logic that he has behaved inappropriately. In this regard, action may need to be taken without waiting for the department concerned to formulate an official response. The policy framework should also encourage creative ways of physically separating alleged perpetrators from survivors, especially when they live in the same residences or are in the same courses, or use the same office or other public spaces within the institution. In addition, it is important to offer substantive protection for whistleblowers, enabling anonymous reporting. The policy on such whistleblowing should clarify what behaviour may be deemed inappropriate and thus subject to being reported – and how the allegations made under this policy should be mediated.

Further, a sexual and reproductive justice approach should be adopted and practically promoted within higher education institutions to ensure adequate treatment and care. Broadly, the policy should seek to foster psycho-social wellbeing, which may represent a particular challenge for women who have 20

experienced years of trauma as a result of sexualized and gendered violence.

In promoting prevention, policymakers should also move away from a simplistic focus on “perpetrator” and “victim” and explore non-retributive approaches to justice. In this regard, support for alleged perpetrators should centre on addressing the psychological and economic concerns and background of violence that may lead an individual to perpetrate SGBV within the context of promoting a critical feminist consciousness on the issue of SGBV. Sufficient resources need to be made available across the higher education systems, including at Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) colleges and Community Education and Training Colleges (CETCs), to support the establishment of forums and committees which are authorized to make and implement policy and other procedural decisions in relation to SGBV. The policy framework should further commit the DHET to resourcing and working closely with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) which can offer practical experience of, and expertise in, preventing and addressing SGBV. Funds should be allocated from the national budget allocation to respond to the crisis of SGBV in higher education institutions. For their part, the higher education institutions should be reporting annually to the DHET on: the number and nature of SGBV incidents; whether these were investigated; the outcomes of these investigations; the nature of the services offered to survivors/victims; and the outcomes of any matters that were mediated, prosecuted or subjected to a disciplinary process.

7 Supporting lgbtqia+ people within the Higher Education system 8

This is the summary of the panelists: Mmapaseka Steve Letsike of Access Ch2 Transformation entails meeting people’s needs in all their diversity, which means taking into account intersectionality and the many identities included under the LGBTQI acronym.9 A number of factors constitute how any individual sees themselves, including gender identity along a spectrum from woman to man; gender expression along a spectrum from feminine to masculine; biological sex along a spectrum from female to male; and sexual orientation along a spectrum from heterosexual to homosexual. In this regard, it is important to acknowledge that while the issue of homophobia has been a topic of mainstream discussion for some time, the issues faced by people who are more diverse in relation to their Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Expression (SOGIE) have not been discussed as much.

The prejudice against LGBTQI people is, like the dominant hetero-norm which can promote discrimination, a social construction – which is not to discount its actual, often violent impacts. Many lives have been lost as part of a history of discrimination against LGBTQI people – and the untold nature of this history continues to exact a price, with many LGBTQI people remaining silent about

8

9

the injustices that are perpetrated against them.

A 2016 survey found 88% of LGBTI (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex) people in South Africa did not report violence against them; and 70% of LGBTI youth in schools reported being rejected. Meanwhile, denial of sexualities beyond the hetero-norm as well as homotrans-phobia continue to be promoted as integral aspects of some religions and traditional cultures – a view that needs to be interrogated as a matter of urgency.

While discrimination against LGBTI people can be exacerbated by other categories of social inequality including class, race, gender, age and rural/urban divides, a common experience is one of pervasive prejudice and discrimination in multiple areas of their lives.

LGBTI people face a range of human rights abuses that include loss of employment, housing, and educational opportunities; reduced/limited access to health care, safety and security and other related public services; institutional exclusion; verbal and physical attacks; and a lack of redress. The socio-economic and cultural impacts of hetero-normative prejudice against LGBTQI

This section draws on presentations made by Mmapaseka “Steve” Letsike, Access Chapter 2 (AC2) and the South African National Aids Council, and Dr Nyx McLean, Head of Programme: Multimedia Faculty of Informatics and Design, CPUT, as well as comments made by Greyson Thela, Gender Dynamix, and Professor Paul Green at the Gender Transformation Symposium held by CPUT on 26-27 August 2019.

This paragraph and the next two draw on a presentation made by Mmapaseka “Steve” Letsike entitled “Sexual orientation and gender identity expression (SOGIE): Mainstreaming and proposed approach” at the Gender Transformation Symposium held by CPUT on 26-27 August 2019.

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people, which can lead to their rejection by their families, may also result in mental health problems and substance abuse, and/or encourage those in the closet to stay there because it is unsafe to come out.

In order to support the rights established under Chapter 2 of South Africa’s Constitution, Access Chapter 2 (AC2) was formed. The non-governmental organization works to improve the rights of women and LGBTI people locally, regionally and globally by promoting the values of Ubuntu; informing public policy; and fostering inclusion through the provision of direct services, legal support and advocacy, education, research and community engagement. AC2 advocates that higher education institutions should acknowledge the importance of normalizing the principle of inclusivity and develop planning tools to implement this. These may include gender training; collating information on gender and sexual identities; and establishing networks to support LGBTQI people in meeting their particular needs.

Partnerships within and across departments and the administration should be fostered to produce sexdisaggregated and gender-analyzed data which can be used to assess and meet student needs inclusively. Partnerships may also be established with external groups, including NGOs, which can provide appropriate expertise and advocacy to establish and implement more inclusive policies. In addition, universities should promote messaging that identifies and acknowledges the diverse sexualities

and genders of students and staff – for example, by producing sex-education posters that not only show men and women holding hands. Diversity should also be promoted within curricula; staff recruitment and retention; and among students. The freedom to express one’s gender and sexuality as one sees fit should be promoted and protected – and higher education institutions should be held accountable for their efforts to foster such freedom.

A number of practical steps and approaches may be adopted to promote greater gender equality and inclusivity at higher education institutions.10 It is important that the policies and documents produced by these bodies speak to marginalized, vulnerable members of the cohort, including include lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, intersex, asexual and many other terms, such as non-binary and pansexual (LGBTQIA+) students. Consideration should be given to including “transgender” and/or “other”, or allowing the individual to specify their own gender identity, on the forms for staff and students issued by the university. Broadly, it is important to eradicate language that promotes the he/she binary. Accordingly, students and staff may also be given the opportunity to choose the names and honorifics by which they wish to be known – rather than simply reproducing those on their identity documents – and also change the photographs that may be issued to identify them.

The consequences of misgendering someone and how to correct this should be

10 This paragraph and the next five draw on a presentation made by Nyx McLean entitled “Gender equality and inclusivity: What needs to be done?” at the Gender Transformation Symposium held by CPUT on 26-27 August 2019.

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considered. For example, in a classroom, when a speaker has misgendered someone else they should consider how they may correct themselves discreetly, without drawing attention to the act of misgendering which only places the burden on the person who has been misgendered.

It is important to establish the classroom as a safe space. In general, universities should seek to foster greater understanding of the kinds of impacts that the use of gendered language may have – for example, when men are supporting women in their struggles they should consider conceiving and referring to this as working with rather than for women.

All staff and students should be trained and/or oriented in the complexities of seeking to produce a genuinely diverse, inclusive environment. The goals should be to enable individuals to unlearn harmful behaviour and to normalize inclusivity right across the institution in a non-hierarchical, democratic fashion, in which everyone feels part of the process. All staff and students must be sensitized to transgender experiences and issues. In the absence of a social science faculty at CPUT, such engagement must be implemented across the university, with everyone being encouraged to step out of their silos to act as agents for change. Students and academics may be brought closer together through such collaboration and the sharing of experiences of prejudice and violence.

The student leadership needs to be trained to provide support in LGBTIAQ+ issues, about which many students have little understanding or knowledge. Such training should be accompanied by appropriate

communications from the university on these issues. In general, policies and practices should be developed that both protect and include LGBTIAQ+ and gender-diverse students and staff. The university should be held liable if the yearround sensitivity training that it provides fails to prevent any security guard, cleaner or member of administrative and academic staff from behaving with disrespect.

In addition, efforts should be made to address the general lack of diversity in relation to sexual orientation and gender identity expression on university Senates and Councils.

The principle of equity should shape the provision of accommodation and everyday amenities to LGBTIAQ+ people – particularly at the student residences, which are generally conservative spaces.

Trans-gendered bathrooms need to be provided. Trans women should not be placed in male residences. In deciding what amenities and facilities are required, the guiding principle for university administrators should be to consult with the students and the staff to identify what they need in their particular spaces and to trust their judgement in this regard.

Similarly, healthcare services should cater to gender-diverse students and staff, offering them a safe environment and addressing particular needs, as they already supposed to do at public hospitals.11 For example, inclusive, sensitized health provision would be able to offer a transgender man a pap smear.

Psychologists also need to be trained to address issues that may be particular to the LGBTIAQ+ community.

11 This point is derived from comments made by Greyson Thela at the Gender Transformation Symposium held by CPUT on 26-27 August 2019.

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In addition, protection and security services must meet the needs of LGBTIAQ+ people. For example, given the binary, heteronormative definitions of GBV and sexual harassment, new procedures need to be developed to enable those in other kinds of relationship to report attacks by their partners and/or incidents of harassment. A related issue is how LGBTIAQ+ people may be treated and, literally, handled by security officials.12 New standard procedures for police in handling transgendered people have just been agreed and consideration should be given to extending these to govern the behaviour of private security staff on campus.

academic colleagues may not necessarily be prejudiced in relation to LGBTIAQ+ concerns, but rather lack the confidence to explore discriminatory comments that may be made. However, such behaviour can make students feel disappointed or depressed and lead to the perception that the university environment is homophobic or exclusive. Failure to address such responses can lead to low participation rates, fear, anger, drop-outs and an unstable and less welcoming environment for both students and staff. Training to address such behaviour should be implemented.13

The adoption of a genuinely inclusive ethos at universities requires a commitment to, and capacity for, imagining and understanding the challenges faced by others in their lives; and adopting an intersectional approach that acknowledges the complexity of people’s identities and behaviours. This work should be undertaken by everyone, particularly in order to alleviate the fatigue experienced by members of the LGBTIAQ+ community who tend to shoulder much of the responsibility for such transformation efforts. It is also important that an inclusive perspective is adopted in universities’ core research and pedagogical activities.

Women should be engaged in studies on women and diversity in research should not be merely tokenistic. In teaching, examples involving gender and inclusivity can enrich the curriculum, even in non-social science spaces.

At CPUT, it has been acknowledged that

12 This point is derived from comments made by Greyson Thela at the Gender Transformation Symposium held by CPUT on 26-27 August 2019.

13 This point is derived from comments made by Professor Paul Green at the Gender Transformation Symposium held

by CPUT on 26-27 August 2019.

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8 Manhood and masculinity

14

This is the summary of the presentation by Dr Navin Naidoo: Health and Wellness Faculty: CPUT

Hegemonic forms of manhood and masculinity pose a socio-political challenge for gender equality. Men and masculine ideas have dominated politics and the law around the world. For example, American women were only granted the right to vote, in the teeth of male opposition, in 1920; while the franchise was extended to British and French women in 1928 and 1945 respectively. In South Africa, the right to vote was only universally extended to black women and men in 1994.

Masculinity itself is a culturally idealized gender notion which stresses certain traits.

Hegemonic masculinity, which deploys cultural capital to achieve power within society, constitutes a form of control exercised by a dominant group – men. This control is not enacted through force – for example, war – although force may be used to bolster it, but through consent, that is through a series of strategic alliances, including with women, which produce the idea of male dominance as a commonsensical one. Accordingly, hegemonic masculinity is accompanied by an idealized form of femininity which requires women to accept the dominance of men and conform to their needs and desires. In accepting such a version of their gender role, women may find it unattractive for a man to treat them as equal or seek their opinion.

It is also important to note that men are also victims of this restrictive, dualist way of ordering the world, which promotes misogyny and homophobia and may be linked to a number of other sociocultural strategies for excluding groups of people from the dominant class – such as racism. In this regard, normative heterosexuality represents one of the bulwarks of hegemonic masculinity; while homosexuality poses a threat to this hegemony, in particular by proposing that men may be the objects as well as the agents of desire. On another level, the actual existence of homosexual men reifies the idea of the heterosexual male, reinforcing its categorical integrity.

In South Africa, masculinity can take a number of quite unique forms, such as “protest” masculinity. In this form of masculinity, those who are vulnerable and/ or damaged may assert their manhood through extreme violence in protests. Such masculinity offers an opportunity for men to express their low socio-economic status.

Some forms of masculinity may also be expressed through great interpersonal violence. For example, many rapes in South Africa are accompanied by extreme violence – multiple stab wounds – and degradation, often taking the form of torture.

These forms of violence take place within

14 This section draws on a presentation made by Dr Navindhra Naidoo, Senior Lecturer: Emergency Medical Sciences Faculty of Health and Wellness, CPUT, at the Gender Transformation Symposium held by CPUT on 26-27 August 2019.

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the context of rapidly changing gender roles and a socio-economic situation in which many men may be unable to source an income and provide for family members and/or dependents. Membership of a gang, which places pressure on the boys and men in this group to express their manhood in exaggerated ways, may promote violence as an expression of masculinity. High unemployment and heightened inequality create a form of cognitive dissonance for many men, fostering violence and risk-taking and creating a number of broader toxic effects for the men themselves such as detrimental health impacts and high levels of imprisonment.

Weakened family structures have also contributed to the violent turn in South African society. During the apartheid era, the absence of fathers under the migrant labour system created more child-led and women-headed households, which are the poorest ones in the country. However, although absent fathers can cause issues for some children, it can foster resilience in others. Nevertheless, it seems clear that violent behaviour as a socially produced characteristic is being inculcated at an early age, with many boys becoming closed to the idea that they can contribute to society. For example, there are high levels of violence at many South African schools, which lack the capacity to address social issues comprehensively.

It should be noted that punitive and retributive forms of justice generally fail to rehabilitate perpetrators. For example, many men convicted of violent offences continue to take pride in their masculine prowess. For practitioners seeking to adopt

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a preventative approach to gender-based violence, the key question is how to break the cycle of joblessness, low socioeconomic status, extreme behaviour and violence against women.

9 Addressing masculinity in the workplace environment 15

This is the summary of the presentation by Mfanozelwe Shozi: former Chairperson of the CGE

Notwithstanding the social, political and economic changes that have been wrought in South Africa since the introduction of universal suffrage and a strong programme of legal civil rights from 1994, significant class, gender and race inequalities have persisted. In particular, high levels of interpersonal violence and sexual violence have continued in the post-apartheid period and women have continued to occupy an inferior and subordinate position relative to men. At the same time, there have been changes in gender relations. Patriarchy and masculinities have privileged and damaged men and boys in ways of which they may be unaware but which have contributed to widespread and increasingly virulent forms of sexual harassment of, and violence against, women. In order to address this issue at the institutional level, it is necessary to consider: how masculinities are being presented and to name these forms; how such values are being transmitted and promoted; how they may be dismantled; and how programmes and plans may be devised to free the institution from patriarchal tendencies.

Sex-role socialization can produce significant problems in the workplace, undermining professional effectiveness and entrenching systematic patriarchy.

In order to address this, there is a need to facilitate men’s groups in which the declared focus is dialogue on how men construct their relationships and identify their responsibilities with the goal of challenging hegemonic concepts of male roles and to enable participants to construct increasingly self-authored identities. In these groups, the men should be encouraged to express and interrogate their fears in relation to their own sexual behaviour. In addition, men should acknowledge the extent to which the division of reproductive and domestic responsibilities in the household enables them to acquire skills and expertise that may not be so easily acquired by female colleagues. The idea that feminism is for everyone, including men, should be inculcated at men’s groups.

Research conducted by British gender and management scholar Ruth Simpson illustrates how men in female-dominated occupations leverage their masculinity to their benefit. Men adopt various strategies to establish a masculine form for their job which is seen as having been undermined by what is viewed as the feminine nature of the work. These strategies include relabeling and enhancing their status to distance it from the feminine, or even reconstructing the job to enhance its

15 This section draws on a presentation made by Mfanozelwe Shozi, University of KwaZulu-Natal, at the Gender Transformation Symposium held by CPUT on 26-27 August 2019.

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masculinity. For example, several male librarians adjusted their job titles to information scientist or researcher, thereby highlighting the technical skills required in their work. Simpson also noted that male nurses often ascend the hierarchy more quickly than their female counterparts; and that men recognized that their minority status as men gave them career advantages.

Masculinities reproduce violence against and the victimization of women. At work, the victimization may take the form of a wage gap between the remuneration offered men and women, as well as the abuse of prospective employees. Given the context of such masculinities, there is a strong argument for discouraging romantic relationships in the workplace.

However, many institutions, firms and organizations – including political parties such as the African National Congress (ANC) – have failed to produce adequate policies to address this. Sexual harassment policies often overlook the issue of intimate relationships among colleagues, which can be shaped by power dynamics in the workplace. A notable exception to this rule is provided by the Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU), which has taken a stand to discourage such relationships.

Another general concern is the position adopted by some unions and student organizations to represent and defend perpetrators who belong to these bodies against charges of sexual harassment and gender-based violence, even though the women making these allegations may also be part of the organization. Furthermore, few efforts are made to hold employees accountable for their behaviour outside

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the workplace. Broadly, many institutions have failed to budget for and implement a systemic approach to promote and mainstream gender equality and equity and to meet the needs of LGBTQI people.

For example, even at CPUT, the budget for the SRC is ten times that allocated to implement gender transformation.

In order to support the emancipation of women at universities, staff and students need to be trained in the importance of gender equity; and M&E indicators for gender inclusivity should be established across the institution.

In addition, campaigns should be mounted to ensure that accessible sexual and reproductive health services and rights are made available by the institution to all individuals whatever their sexual or gender identity. Men and boys should be engaged in transforming the rigid norms that shape sexual and reproductive health outcomes and enabled to seek information and services for addressing their sexual and reproductive health needs. Comprehensive sexuality education that promotes a critical reflection about gender norms, healthy relations and power inequalities should be provided. Men’s shared responsibility in sexual and reproductive behaviour and rights should be promoted. The availability and use of methods for male contraception and/or the prevention of Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs) should be expanded. Spaces for men to take responsibility in prenatal and child health services should be created and utilized.

There is a lack of awareness about key international obligations and agreements on the advancement of women, women’s rights and the

promotion of gender equality. In response, it is crucial that institutions formulate appropriate employment equity policies, and implement tailored gender policies that consider issues of working conditions, budgeting, mainstreaming and procurement. At higher education institutions, the numbers of senior academic staff need to be analyzed closely to ensure greater gender equity at this level. At least 10% of deliverables – the Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) established by the organization to monitor its effectiveness – should relate to gender transformation. Career-pathing programmes need to be implemented to ensure that women rise to higher levels in the institutions and to address disparities around income between men and women.

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equality, and build appropriate institutional capacity to implement gender transformation.

Actively advance institutional policies that address the social and structural determinants of gender inequalities, and train staff to implement these policies.

Create internal public awareness campaigns to transform men’s perceptions of gender roles.

Call to account men who are found to be abusing or failing to support their wives and children.

Clear numerical targets need to be established to track the development and career progression of female staff.

This is particularly important in the higher education sector. In 2015, the CGE reported that DHET statistics indicated that only 872 women occupied senior roles in the sector as Deans, Heads of Department, Deputy Vice-Chancellors and Vice-Rectors, compared with 1 144 males at this level, with women faring even worse at the highest Vice-Chancellor and Deputy ViceChancellor level. Meanwhile, there were only 552 female professors compared with 1,623 male ones, meaning that women academics at this academic level were outnumbered by their male peers by a ratio of three to one.

A range of other actions should also be taken to promote gender transformation in institutions. These should include efforts to: • Develop, implement and monitor policies to engage men in gender

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10 Student voices: On gender equality and inclusivity 16

This is the summary of the presentation by the panelists: Sihle Ngxabi (Secretary General: Central SRC), Kanyisa Mantwana (Secretary General: Bellville SRC), Tumiso Mfisa (Chairperson: District Six SRC

At present, many students are ill-informed on issues of gender transformation and inclusivity. So, CPUT needs to facilitate and support the establishment of forums and safe spaces among, and led by, students at which they can discuss, and gain greater knowledge and understanding of these issues. Such student-centred and -led training and orientation should be rolled out across all the university’s campuses and faculties with the active participation and support of these faculties, as well as of the department of student affairs and the transformation unit in the ViceChancellor’s office. Students should be encouraged and enabled through training as required to take a leadership role in the university’s discussions about forging and implementing a comprehensive gender policy. Their full participation is crucial if the students are to act as agents for change not only on campus, but when they return to their family homes, where patriarchal and hetero-normative views may dominate. The idea of gender transformation may also be effectively promoted through support for the greater participation of women in sports that are often considered the preserve of men – such as rugby and football.

In promoting gender equity, it is important

that students acknowledge the larger systems of power within which reforms may take place. For example, although a leadership body such as the university council or the student representative council may comprise five men and five women, the men will still dominate if they hold the strategic positions. For example, the Chair may be a man; while women tend to be offered deputizing roles – in other words, they are only allowed to lead when the men are absent. In this regard, the quality of the representation is crucial, not just the numbers. A similar reality may be observed in relation to the issue of race – a black face at the top does not mean that there are not powerful white people behind the scenes, forging the decisions. Similarly, the power wielded by the two student representatives on the university council at CPUT is more nominal than real – when it comes to a vote, the executive and the management will always win the day.

Notwithstanding this power imbalance, university managers tend to expect student representatives to oversee the implementation of a range of policies and efforts, although the rationale behind these initiatives may not have been properly explained. They are also often insensitive

16 This section draws on a panel discussion led by Tumiso Mfisa, Chairperson: Cape Town Local Student Representative Council (LSRC D6), CPUT, and featuring other student leaders, peer educators and mentors at CPUT, as well as comments from respondents, at the Gender Transformation Symposium held by CPUT on 26-27 August 2019.

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to requests for action which are passed to them by student leaders. For example, they can be slow to act on reported incidents of discrimination against LGBTQI students, even failing to investigate. In addition, few resources and little support is made available for student development programmes. A particular concern here is that those holding the purse-strings for the budgets allocated to each student residence tend to ignore requests for funds to be released, or delay acting upon such requests – thus keeping the money for their own priorities.

A further concern is the dominant, heteronormative culture among a large part of the student body. As one student said: “Whenever we talk about issues around rape culture, our mates don’t want to talk in the same room as women – the men think that you (the women) cannot do anything to us.” In this regard, it is crucial that student forums to discuss the issue should be fully representative and inclusive and provide a space for all voices to be heard. In support of student efforts to overcome exclusive ways of thinking, the university should consciously and deliberately target young people as agents of change, identifying and supporting those individuals who may be most effective in forging progressive change.

In this regard, a number of accepted societal norms need to be overcome to address the issue of GBV effectively. For example, men within a patriarchal system often fail to understand the reality and impacts of rape on women and the kind of support that should be provided. Women can be left vulnerable to depression and even suicide as a result. In addition, women taking a stand against GBV may be stigmatized and isolated by their male peers. Even when women’s positions are taken into account it may only be to garner their support for

men seeking power – for example, by male students standing for election to student representative councils. At the same time, it can be difficult for young people to unlearn patriarchal attitudes towards women that may be prevalent in their home spaces. For example, the idea that women should not be listened to when a man is in the house can inform the behaviour of young men at universities.

In line with such identified challenges, the student representative council at CPUT has adopted the position of promoting an inclusive society in which equality is the norm. It opposes patriarchy and advocates a zero-tolerance policy in relation to GBV. It believes in accepting everyone for who they are regardless of gender and sexual preference. It further supports post-graduate research to secure women’s rights.

Given that the actions and decision taken by students (and staff) are influenced by their attitudes, it is important to interrupt these attitudes in order to create change.

This may happen at the institutional level in efforts to mainstream gender transformation and to create a community of practice to address this issue both within and beyond the campus gates. Change can also be fostered on the ground by individuals producing different narratives in the spaces that they occupy to create a new “normal”. Such efforts need to be made consciously and deliberately. In this regard, it is important to acknowledge that change may only be wrought slowly through the inculcation of new kinds of values which may be promoted by continuous dialogue and debate. In this regard, the public discourse can be strengthened by greater reporting of the gender transformation efforts being undertaken within the higher education system, for example, at CPUT. 31

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11 Postgraduate research on gender mainstreaming 11.1 Research 1: the role of employee communication in a university of technology to advocate for and promote dialogue on gender equity 17 This is the summary of the presentation by Louisa Arendse: MTech student: CPUT This is the summary of the presentation by: Louisa Arendse: M. Tech student: CPUT Research, adopting a case study approach across all the organization’s campuses, has been launched at CPUT to assess the extent to which employee communications support gender equity transformation at the university. With the goal of providing an overview of existing employee communications channels, the research will consider how such communications advocate for, and promote dialogue on, gender equity, as well as the potential of such work and the impediments faced in fulfilling this potential. The findings from this research may provide the university’s management with greater insight into the views of male and female staff on the issue of gender equity and the impacts of the institution’s current employeecommunications policy and practices in this area, including how directed communication is understood and interpreted by those within the institution.

The research will consider how communications systems are used; the communicative behaviour of the leadership which is shaped by the employer-employee relationship; face-to-face communications, including among peers, within the organization; and the functionality of the communications process. The research,

which will collect quantitative and qualitative data, will be informed by feminist communication theory, which considers issues of intersectionality across gender, class, age and religion – and the kinds of gaps in knowledge within a communicative text that may arise as a result. In terms of gender equity, the background to the research is that men occupy 69.5% of top management positions and 66.6% of senior management positions at South African universities, which is broadly comparable to the ratios across society as a whole. At CPUT, 59% of department heads, 73% of professors, 55% of associate professors and 63% of senior lecturers are men.

Clearly women remain under-represented in top and senior leadership positions, indicating that the prescriptions of gender legislation and gender equity policies have not worked. In this regard, the success of efforts to forge a gender-equitable workplace depends on the participation and dedication of both men and women, which requires honest dialogue between them. In support of this, effective employee information strategies and processes have the potential to foster problemsolving, bringing men and women into the conversation with the objective of quantifying gender outcomes and identifying impediments to greater equity.

17 This section draws on a presentation made by Louisa Arendse, MTech student, Faculty of Informatics and Design, CPUT, at the Gender Transformation Symposium held by CPUT on 26-27 August 2019.

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11.2 Research 2: The importance of integrating information and communications technology (ICT) in women-owned businesses 18 This is the summary of the presentation by Simon Nsengimana: DTech: CPUT This is the summary of the presentation by Simon Nsengimana: D. Tech: CPUT. In South Africa and Rwanda, small, microand medium-sized enterprises (SMMEs) are an important source of job creation and socio-economic growth. However, there is a significant gender gap in engagement in entrepreneurial activities in both countries.

For example, in South Africa, women, by comparison with men, tend to become entrepreneurs as a matter of necessity rather than out of choice; generally, engage in business at an older age; and face great challenges in accessing capital to start and run enterprises. The broad impediments facing women seeking a role in business include marginalization as a result of patriarchal systems and cultural stereotyping of women as home-makers.

New dispensations were introduced in both countries from 1994, when South Africa held its first democratic elections after the end of apartheid, and when Rwanda sought to forge a new government to bring unity in the wake of a genocide that claimed the lives of 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus. Subsequently, gender equity improved markedly in government bodies, particularly in Rwanda where women occupy more than 60% of the seats in parliament. However, women have fared less well in business. For example, women in Rwanda occupy less than a third of senior positions in the private sector and have registered just under 27% of businesses.

In this regard, a number of common challenges face women in business in the two countries, including: broad gender inequality; insufficient finance and collateral; inadequate ICT skills; the burden of family responsibilities; restrictions imposed by cultural and religious norms; insufficient entrepreneurial skills; and great competition. Women in Rwanda also face high interest rates, high tax rates and inadequate infrastructure. Studies have shown that the provision of information and communications technology tools can help to accelerate women’s capacity to overcome these challenges while forging business opportunities. Tools such as smartphones help women to search for relevant information and enable networking and communications, both of which are key assets in starting and running a business.

The ability to use digital technologies can also boost the visibility, brand and profitability of new businesses.

Women are also increasingly able to research and access new kinds of finance, whether in the form of microloans from banks or in the form of proceeds from cooperative savings funds, via the internet.

In this regard, it has been found that women perform relatively well in psychometric testing conducted by financial institutions to assess trustworthiness. Competitive interest rates for capital may be sourced via the internet; and new downloadable software packages for managing tax can help to reduce the tax burden for women

18 This section draws on a presentation made by Simon Nsengimana, DTech student, Faculty of Business and Management Science, CPUT, at the Gender Transformation Symposium held by CPUT on 26-27 August 2019.

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entrepreneurs. Access to the internet can also help women entrepreneurs with family responsibilities, enabling them to work from home, and provide useful online education and training opportunities. More broadly, engagement with the internet can help to dismantle the norms that inhibit female entrepreneurship.

A number of factors can constrain the effective use of ICT, including poor communications and energy infrastructures and insufficient network coverage; inadequate or inappropriate software packages; the character and perceptions of the entrepreneur herself; costly security and maintenance; and an uncertain regulatory environment. However, women have already adopted leadership roles in promoting and using new technologies in South Africa and Rwanda. For example, notwithstanding discrimination against women in mathematics and science, engineering and technology (SET) disciplines, 13% of graduates in these subjects in South Africa are women, some of whom have launched successful technology companies.

In Rwanda, the government has sought to promote the engagement of women in ICT in the education, business, agriculture and science and technology sectors. One initiative has encouraged girls at primary and secondary schools to take a greater interest in ICT. In addition, a number of women are leading technology-driven enterprises in the country.

Women are better at managing available resources than men. In part, these skills may derive from women’s traditional roles as housekeepers. The skills learned in the home, when applied to business, can make women-managed organizations perform better than those run by men. Companies led by women seem to fare better during

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times of financial crisis than those led by men. In the United States, it has been found that women-managed companies have better prospects of survival than those managed by men.

Notwithstanding the benefits of ICT and improved access to capital, women continue to face significant obstacles in business, including in winning contracts that are put out to public tender. Actions that may be taken to support women in business include: making more start-up capital available to women; allocating 50% of public tenders to women; extending mentoring to women to use ICT; and providing women with training to gain greater knowledge of markets and supply-chain management.

More broadly, campaigns may be mounted to promote ICT use among women.

In general, significant work needs to be done to overcome the stigmas that women face in seeking to do business and to promote a value system in which they are judged purely on their competence and success as entrepreneurs and businesswomen. In this regard, the major problem that women face is lack of access to the market. Accordingly, women entrepreneurs tend to act where they can as opportunities arise. Another issue concerns the control over the income earned from women’s entrepreneurship. In poorer communities, men may allow women to become entrepreneurs and provide for the household because they have failed to provide. In this situation, although women who work may enjoy greater value and respect within their communities, the men may seek to control their income.

12 Women’s research and documentation: Lessons and suggestions 19

This is the summary of the presentation by Petro-Carojees- Brink: Library Management: CPUT In 2018, there were 26 academic libraries, 1,879 public libraries and 5,423 school libraries in South Africa. These numbers compare favorably with those in other African countries, although South Africa is a long way behind Egypt in terms of the number of school libraries.

The role of librarians as powerful knowledge-sharers has been welldocumented. The tradition of establishing resource centres or special libraries for women dates back more than a century to the foundation of the Francesca Bonnemaison library in Barcelona in 1909.

Other such early institutions include: The Fawcett library in London which was established in 1926; the Marguerite Durand library in Paris founded in 1931; and the International Archive for the Women’s Movement (IAV), which was established in the Netherlands in 1935. The IAV, which merged with other archival institutions and services to form the International Information Centre and Archives for the Women’s Movement (IIAV) and subsequently the Atria Institute on Gender Equality and Women’s History, continues to feature collections about women and gender relations.

In 1998, the IIAV in collaboration with

British organizations and the UN launched a Mapping the World project to provide a comprehensive overview of the work, goals and achievements of women’s information facilities, which include physical as well as online archives, libraries and sources of information and research support. The database, which is now held by Atria, lists 167 websites related to women’s organizations across the world.

In Africa, a number of initiatives to promote work for women and on gender have been launched with varying degrees of success. For example, the Zimbabwe Women’s Resource Centre and Network (ZWRCN) which was established in 1990 with funding from the World Bank sought to foster women’s social and economic justice through information-sharing, networking and advocacy. With a particular goal of empowering women by promoting their ownership and control of resources, the project sunk significant funding into providing computer facilities. However, there now seems to be little to show for the efforts which were made apart from a website.

Meanwhile, in 2011, The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) established a Regional

19 This section draws on a presentation made by Petro Coreejes-Brink, Library Management Member, CPUT, at the Gender Transformation Symposium held by CPUT on 26-27 August 2019.

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Research and Documentation Centre for Women, Gender and Peace-building in the Great Lakes Region. The initiative aims to safeguard and promote respect for the rights of women in the region through national centres to be established in Angola, Burundi, the Central African Republic (CAR), Congo, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Kenya, Rwanda, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. After its launch, the centre aimed to launch a major research programme on the theme of violence against women in the region; create an observatory on women and poverty; and establish a virtual network linking the regional and national centres, and a digital library to diffuse resources and publications throughout the region.

The initiative is unlikely to extend to South Africa.

The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) represents a progressive, active initiative that can help to foster access to information resources for women in pursuit of their rights. Promoting the model of Free Access to Information and Freedom of Expression (FAIFE), the federation seeks to support cultural heritage institutions, in particular libraries, in playing an active role in improving situations and lives. It promotes the principle that libraries, as public-service bodies, have a duty to reach out to everyone and provide services and support that help all people realize their rights.

Accordingly, libraries are required to host, preserve and make available materials, and provide facilities and services, on an equitable basis to all users – and must not

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discriminate on the grounds of race, creed, gender or age, or for any other reason.

Another democratic avenue for women and girls to engage with libraries and archives in South Africa is through the documentation and preservation of everyday histories. A range of projects have been established to support such work, including efforts made by the University of South Africa (UNISA).

Documents from home, such as recipes and diaries, as well as accounts – for example, the senses and memories of the childhood – may be added to the public archive to build a more complete picture of the country’s past.

In providing this material and these narratives for the public record, it is important to be aware of copyright concerns – that is, who owns the rights to disseminate and publish the information provided. For example, in relation to university-held repositories, the strictly historical information may be deposited in the archives, while the stories of human interaction may be collected by the libraries.

13 Panel discussion in gender gap in research: Some initiatives and future directions 20

This is the summary of the panelists: Clement Matasane: Research Manager: CPUT and Kholeka Zantsi-Mabeta- Lukhanyo Publishers

Many more men than women apply for, and win, research grants; complete PhDs; and publish their work. In order to try and bridge this gender gap in knowledge production, it is important to foster emerging researchers. Such researchers face common challenges in seeking to make the career transition to becoming an academic. One is the so-called production paradox – in order to obtain a grant for research, certain metrics may need to fulfilled, including proof of engagement in research and a certain amount of outputs; but without funding it can be difficult for the individual to acquire an adequate record as a researcher. In order to help resolve this Catch 22, CPUT offers a client-orientated, capacity-building programme that helps applicants for post-graduate scholarships write up their research proposals and bid for funding opportunities. Applicants for the week-long course are selected competitively. The quality of applicants’ work represents the main criterion for selection to this programme, but respect for the gender of applicants also informs the selection process.

At the end of the seven days of training in research-proposal and grant writing, a

research proposal is produced by each trainee which is then peer-reviewed and submitted for approval. A research forum group discusses and advises on issues relating to ethical and qualitative standards before the individuals submit their final proposals. The financial support that may be garnered through the submission of these proposals can be supplemented by funding made available by CPUT for research in the seven focus areas that the university supports: bio-economy and biotechnology; space science and technology; energy; climate change and environment; human and social dynamics, including issues related to service delivery; economic growth and international competitiveness; and design for sustainability.

Further down the pipeline, efforts to promote potential and junior women academics include those undertaken by publishers who may collaborate with doctoral students and/or engage senior academics to mentor them in order to convert their PhDs into publishable monographs or chapters in edited volumes.

In this regard, the National Institute for the Humanities and Social Sciences (NIHSS)

20 This section draws on presentations made by Clement Matasane, Research Manager in the Research Directorate, and Kholeka Zantsi-Mabeta, Publisher, and comments made by Lucina Reddy, Human Resources, CPUT, at the Gender Transformation Symposium held by CPUT on 26-27 August 2019.

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runs an annual competition to fund PhDs for publication, which can be leveraged to support women researchers. Such support is particularly important given the disproportionate amount of teaching assigned to female academics.

At CPUT, the research directorate has established a fund to enable publication and another to help junior researchers and academics improve their qualifications.

R20 million has been allocated to a fund to accelerate the production of more black academics by providing students with the mentoring and resources, including time, to complete their PhDs and become associate professors within a few years. The project’s goal was to transform the composition of academic staff within ten years in defiance of the commonly accepted view that it takes a generation to achieve such change.

In a separate development, women on the CPUT’s institutional research forum have been pressing for a women-in-research group to address the current gender gap in knowledge production.

In support of efforts to close this gap, it has been recommended that CPUT could sponsor a research day focusing on women’s research issues. In addition, in relation to employment equity, academic staff recruitment and retention programmes should be shaped to offer greater opportunities for career advancement for women.

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14 Modjaji books and collaboration with universities 21

This is the summary of the presentation by Coleen Higgs: Managing Director: Modjaji Books

Publication can significantly enhance an individual’s influence – particularly if their work is prescribed at certain institutions and/or for particular courses of study; raise their profile – through name recognition and by being invited to conferences; and foster their network, by creating connections with other people working in the same area.

However, at the global level, women’s writing and research is significantly under-published. Modjaji Books, which specializes in publishing both fiction and non-fiction women’s writing in South Africa, has sought to redress the balance. Many of the books published by this imprint have been shortlisted for, or won, awards, and placed on coursework and reading lists by educational institutions.

authors and staff are invited to conferences across the world. Having operated at a subsistence level for most of the 12 years since its inception, Modjaji is seeking to move into a new, more commercially viable space.

Given the crucial role that the arts and culture play as tools to communicate women’s experiences and issues of gender, CPUT is continuing to collaborate actively with the Department of Arts and Culture in this area.

Notable non-fiction volumes produced

by Modjaji Books include Jabulani Means Rejoice: A Dictionary of South African Names, which considers indigenous naming practices; and Invisible Earthquake: A Woman’s Journey Through Stillbirth

by Malika Ndlovu, which uncovered the impacts of a common experience for women that had hitherto remained largely hidden. Modjaji Books sells rights and publishes internationally, using the African Books Collective for international distribution. Its titles are collected by British, US and Canadian libraries; and its

21 This section draws on comments made by Colleen Higgs, Managing Director: Modjaji Publishers, Kholeka ZantsiMabeta and Nonkosi Tyolwana at the Gender Transformation Symposium held by CPUT on 26-27 August 2019.

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15 Bottom-up approaches to fostering gender transformation 22

This is the summary of the remarks by Marthe Muller: South African Women In Dialogue (SAWID) In order to make the connection between gender transformation at universities and the society at large, orientation programmes should seek to leverage the close relationships that each year’s new intake of students continue to have with their home communities.

These young men should be educated on important issues, including in relation to gender transformation and inclusivity; and deployed as ambassadors to guide their SRCs in the kinds of engagement that may have the greatest impact among their home communities and prevent GBV in families, including those of the students themselves.

A model for this may be provided by the adopt-a-child programme that used to be run by the South African Students Congress (SASCO), under which SRCs adopted one or two children to support them through matric and into university.

In addition, community work may be undertaken by students following the family development model, under which a family is defined as at least two people who share a budget, and which views these units as the basis for larger societal transformation.

In South Africa, such work may be viewed as crucial to address the legacy of the socio-economic and cultural damage inflicted among families by apartheid and the migrant-labour system.

Other forms of bottom-up engagement that may be used by universities include that of “verbalized digital democracy”. Under this approach, ideas and recommendations for change are crowd-sourced and then democratically rated before being put to universities for development with the support of municipal funding. The approach could be deployed to assess the kinds of approaches that may be most effective in addressing gender transformation on the ground. The establishment of study circles, consisting of ten or so people and meeting on a regular weekly or bi-weekly basis, represents another interesting tool that may be used to promote and inculcate gender transformation and the prevention of GBV.

22 This section draws on discussions, including comments made by Marthe Muller, South African Women in Dialogue, and others, at the Gender Transformation Symposium held by CPUT on 26-27 August 2019.

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16 Communicating gender transformation 23

This is the summary of the remarks by Melanie Marais: HIV/AIDS Unit: CPUT and Spino Fante : Social Inclusion Department of Higher Education People are taught by values. However, the values that underpin institutional genderequality and gender-equity efforts – that is, an understanding of and support for women’s fundamental human rights –can often be overlooked. In this regard, it is important that institutions proclaim their values and the efforts that they are taking to implement them more vociferously.

There should be greater reporting and showcasing of these values and actions in the public space.

with colleagues and peers – as well as by newsflashes.

In addition, given the relative success of women as leaders in many parts of the private sector and the public sector, women-led forums promoting gender transformation should go on the road, visiting workplaces, universities and other major institutions to spread the message.

Another approach to creating conversations has been that adopted by CPUT’s silent, purple-ribbon campaign, under which purple ribbons have been tied around trees at all of the university’s campuses to protest against GBV. The initiative has generated thousands of likes and hundreds of comments on CPUT’s social media interface.

In support of gender transformation, the findings and outputs of meetings on the subject – such as those held by CPUT in August 2019 and, with students, in October 2019 – need to be disseminated widely within faculties and administrative units in order to help mainstream and institutionalize these perspectives. The message may be spread by word of mouth – by having courageous conversations

23 This section draws on discussions, including comments made by Melanie Marais, HIV Aids Unit, CPUT, and Spino Fante, Department of Higher Education, at the Gender Transformation Symposium held by CPUT on 26-27 August 2019.

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17 Improving cput’s focus on gender transformation 24

This is the summary of the closing remarks by Nonkosi Tyolwana: Director: Transformation, Social Cohesion and Diversity: CPUT At present, CPUT is seeking to incorporate gender inclusivity into its training, and infrastructural and knowledge-resource provision. In this regard, CPUT’s own gender policy should be finalized in consultation with students and a plan to implement the policy should be forged.

The policy and plan should include targets for gender equity among senior staff.

The student movement at the university should establish a gender forum which would meet on at least a quarterly basis.

The agenda for university council meeting should include a standing item on gender.

Current policies should be audited from a gender perspective. The issue of funding gender transformation should be addressed: budgetary analysis should be implemented to learn what percentage of the total is spent on women; and the amount of the budget that should go to women – whether in sports or elsewhere – should be determined.

The university’s chief financial officer should be engaged in this discussion. Other more informal ideas to promote gender equality and equity include institutionalizing gender equality and inclusivity across the university. It should also be acknowledged that feminism should be for everyone – and men’s groups should be revived and/ or established in support of women and to coach men in responsible, inclusive leadership. In this regard, the role of

student activism in promoting gender transformation and addressing the issue of GBV on campuses is crucial. Gender transformation is everybody’s business, in all spaces. Students and staff have no option but to seek to genderise their own spaces. In addition, given that only 10% of students stay in residences, with the rest living in the community, such input and engagement must extend beyond the physical limits of the university.

In order to effect genuine gender transformation, radical action needs to be taken across the higher education sector. Such transformation should be incentivized through institutional audits that rank organizations on the basis of their policies and efforts to empower women and how effective these have been. Issues of intersectionality on the basis of race, age and educational background also need to incorporated into such auditing. In order to implement the required transformation, the importance of gender transformation as a critical cross-cutting target needs to be acknowledged as a central concern. Thus, women need to drive the process, which should answer their needs and promote their autonomy. The campaign for change should also address the ways in which gendered language, which is commonly used, shapes how individuals experience the world – and seek to change such language to promote liberation.

24 This section draws on discussions at the Gender Transformation Symposium held by CPUT on 26-27 August 2019.

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+27 21 959 6767 info@cput.ac.za @CPUT @wearecput www.facebook.com/cput.ac.za www.cput.ac.za

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