The State of the Nation, Government Priorities and Women in South Africa - Gender Democracy

Artist Zanele Muholi poses in parliament. Photo by Cindy Waxa

Executive Summary

Government’s priorities affect all South Africans, the majority of whom are women and girls. Particularly black women and girls suffer multiple forms of discrimination and are among the most socioeconomically disadvantaged groups in South Africa.

This review gauges how government’s priorities set for 2012 in President Jacob Zuma’s State of the Nation Address (SONA 2012) will affect the social, political and economic status of women, and measures the advances made with regards to the five priorities the president set in the 2009 SONA, namely:

• Decent Work
• Education
• Crime
• Health
• Rural development & agrarian reform