Question NW298 to the Minister of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities
24 March 2023 - NW298
Hlengwa, Ms MD to ask the Minister of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities
With reference to the report titled “How to Include the Missing Perspectives of Women of All Colours in News Leadership and Coverage”, which is the third in a series of Missing Perspective reports commissioned by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and its finding that less than two in five editors-in-chief in the Republic are women, what are the full, relevant details of how her Office’s monitoring has championed gender transformation in senior leadership positions across industries, especially in the media and communications industry?
Reply:
The Department has in the past two financial years compiled a monitoring report on the empowerment of women, youth and persons with disabilities focusing on levels of equity, employment, ownership and participation women, youth and persons with disabilities.
The report records the participation of women in senior leadership as follows:
1. Women Magistrates were 48.7% in 2020/21 and increased to 52.1% in 2021/22.
2. Women judges were 43.1% in 2020/21 and increased to 45.5% in 2021/22.
3. Representation of women in South African Police Services as Major General is at 37.9%, and Brigadier is at 38.2%. The percentage increased to 50% at higher position of Divisional Commissioner, Provincial Commissioner and Top Management. While the National commissioner is a man, two of the three Deputy National Commissioner are women.
4. Women representation at SMS level in the public service was at 27.9% in 2021/22. Youth are represented at levels 13, 14 and 15 with 1.4%, 1.7%, and 3.2 % respectively while persons with disabilities are represented by less than 2% in three levels.
5. Top Management level representation of women in the Private Sector was at 24.6%.
6. Data from StatsSA indicates that there are 4 407 Councillors of which 1 309 are female which translates to 29.7% women representation as Councillors.