GENDER EQUALITY FOR ACHIEVING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOAL ONE (NO POVERTY) IN SOUTH AFRICAN MUNICIPALITIES

Year 2019, Volume: 11 Issue: 1, 84 - 98, 01.01.2019

Shikha Vyas-doorgapersad

Abstract

Sustainable Development Goal One demands the reduction of poverty, hence
holds significance in the South African context where a high unemployment rate
still prevails, hampering socio-economic development of the country as a whole.
In addition, poverty is linked to gender inequality with female counterparts
occupying fewer jobs in the South African labour market than men. This situation
is even more dire at grassroots levels, where a lack of education and civic
awareness, inadequate gender-based poverty alleviation policies, and
inappropriate gender-based participation in pro-poor growth strategies, contribute
towards the weakening of women’s empowerment. This article hypothesises that
gender equality in poverty reduction strategies could have a positive impact in the
realisation of Sustainable Development Goal One. In order to explore the gender
equality measures in poverty reduction initiatives, the article utilizes a qualitative
research approach with an exploratory design. This involved distributing a survey
questionnaire to residents of Emfuleni Local Municipality as part of the
Mainstreaming Gender Equality (MGE) approach to promote equal opportunities
in poverty reduction programmes at grassroots level in South Africa. The
responses showed that community members are changing their perspectives on
gender equality, the role of gender in achieving Development Goal One, and the
significance of gender-based contributions towards social-economic development.
The article recommends that future research should focus on gender-disaggregated
needs, gender-sensitive roles, gender-based demographic data, and gendermainstreaming, as policy options for socio-economic development at local
government level in South Africa.

Keywords

gender, gender equality, poverty, pro-poor strategies, sustainable development goals

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