Bottom-up approaches to fostering gender transformation 40

• 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