GENDER AND EMPLOYMENT EQUITY IN INSTITUTIONS OF HIGHER LEARNING

Submission to the Portfolio Committee on Labour on behalf of the Gender Equity
Unit, University of the Western Cape
08 May 2003


Introduction



This submission is premised on the fact that universities and other institutions of higher learning are microcosms of broader society. Although equity legislation has not been specifically aimed at these institutions they are by virtue of their status as public institutions responsible to the state and all its mechanisms. Media reports are increasingly reporting the high levels of sexism, racism and gender based violence on our campuses. Staff statistics also point to the slow response to " leveling the playing field" and increasing the numbers of women, people with the disabilities and Blacks in senior and other meaningful positions that will invariably transform such institutions.


Academic institutions

Current equity legislation has been mainly designed to democratise industry and to make it more diverse and representative of the majority of the population. Institutions of higher
learning are particularly challenged because of various reasons. The nature of public academic institutions differs greatly from the private and economic sector. namely:

Academia is not market-oriented and is slow to respond adequately to national imperatives.

The nature of its academic recruitment. selection, appointments and promotion procedures have been severely influenced by past and outdated practices and its conception of what is intellectual and valid and who is qualified to research, teach and govern.

There is also the continuous tension between labour laws and education laws in their respective approaches to attain the end goal of equity and equality.

The Historically Disadvantaged Institutions (HDI) have never been afforded the opportunity to train and educate students for certain high profile and prestigious careers. Certain positions will therefore remain the exclusive domain of white males for a long time to come.

The masculinist nature of the institutions. Research (Bond, 1996; Cockburn, 1991; Hames, 2003) has shown that the leadership positions play a uniquely important role in shaping the institution which in turn plays a crucial role in shaping society and the future. If institutions remain masculine and patriarchal. women will continuously be controlled, oppressed, and exploited by the men who dominate them. Subotzky (2002) noted that the hostile institutional practices and climate dampen the advancement of women and Blacks in higher education. He commented that these are fornudable constraints in the attainment of organisational equity.

The fact that the designated group 'women' has been homogenized and has therefore not taken into consideration the different lived and life experiences of Black women. Williams (Rhoda. 1999) argues that the Employment Equity Act did not comprehensively dealt with the issues like discrimination because 'referring to discrimination against Blacks and discrimination against White women in the same vein is to conflate this materially-driven distinction." The same argument can be applied when the differentiation is made on the grounds of gender " White women as a group did not suffer to the same extent under the apartheid regime as Black men and Black women".



Transformation in educational institutions is particularly challenged because of the historical social engineering. In 1996, the Minister of Education, Professor Bengu, warned tertiary education institutions that if they keep on resisting transformation, he would " intervene and drive them towards transformation". The subsequent White Paper on Higher Education of 1997 is particular importance when it states that there are "indefensible imbalances in the ratios of Black and women staff compared to Whites and males" in institutions of higher learning.

In a report by CHET {2001) the statistical realities were as follows:

Only 35% of the academic staff at all the universities together were women:

Women were mainly grouped in the lecturer and junior lecturer positions ~t all the universities and largely invisible or non-existent in senior positions:
In the entire university system, women comprised only 19% of the senior executive-administrative-managerial staff.

Seven years after the adoption of the Constitution and five years after the passage of the equity legislation, the tension between the current progressive legislative framework on the one hand and the historical and embedded realities of academia on the other can still be detected.

The White Paper (1997) advocates for "an enabling environment that will overcome the social constraints that impede the mobility of women". It also made it imperative for institutions to submit human resource development plans and equity goals as part of their three-year rolling plans. The White Paper noted:

The Department of National Education is committed to an institutional culture in which there is gender equity. Institutions have a responsibility for creating an equitable and supportive climate for women students and staff. Priority areas affecting women's participation include women's representation in senior academic and administrative positions and institutional governance structures, child care facilities at institutions. affirmative action for women's advancement, and mechanisms to draw women students into post-graduate studies and into science and technology. Institutional information systems should incorporate mechanisms for monitoring and collecting data on women students and staff.


In recognition of the " paucity of postgraduates" amongst the designated groups. the National Plan for Higher Education in South Africa (2001) suggested that institutions should, as an alternative. look at candidates from other African countries. The potential

conflict between the Skills Development Act, 1998 and the vision of the National Department of Higher Education lies therefore in the fact that the former advocates that persons that were previously disadvantaged by unfair discrimination should trained and educated in order to redress the disparities in the workplace. The latter says to search for potential candidates in our neighbouring states.


Challenges

One acknowledges that there are immense financial and other cost implications for

tertiary institutions. These are:

It is costly to recruit. select and appoint outside the historical base;

Head hunting implies the offering of market-related salaries and other financial incentives;

There are not enough Black and women candidates that have the necessary experience and institutions therefore have to spend money and time to train and educate new appointees:

The uncertainty at institutions that, after spending money and time on the new appointee. she will leave the institution:

The existing staff have to be trained in gender-diversity- and non-discriminatory practices and procedures and training means money; and

New human resources and financial policies have to designed and implemented.

Even in the private sector the maintenance of white male privilege is continuously

reflected in racial and gender differentiated statistics. The Commission for Employment

Equity (3001) submitted the following statistics to the Minister of Labour:

Men still occupy 87% of top management positions in South Africa and 80% of all senior management positions;

Women currently hold 38% of all jobs. but only 13% of top management jobs and only 20% of senior management positions African women hold only 1.2% of all top management positions.

Black representation in top management stands at 11%.

Conclusion

In conclusion it can safely be said that employment equity has not effectively change the position of women in the workplace especially in the decision-making and power spheres. Although a few women have been appointed to senior positions. they still ultimately have to report to, seek guidance from. and receive the permission of men in order to fulfil the responsibilities of their positions. This will continue to be the situation until women become the chief executive officers of their institutions.


Bibliography

Bond. Sheryl L. (1996). The experience of feminine leadership in the academy". In
Kearney. Mary Louis. (1996). Women, higher education and development. London:
Jessica Kinglsey Publishers; Paris: UNESCO 35-5

Cockburn. Cynthia. (1991).In the way of women: men's resistance to sex equality in organisation. Houndmill: Macmillan

Hames. Mary (2003). The appointment of' women ini senior management positions at the University of Western Cape and Stellenbosch: A study of the implementation of equity' legislation, 1999~'()o~" Niphil Thesis. Port Elizabeth: UPE. (Unpublished).

Rhoda. James C.P. (1999). An analysis of the affirmative action policies and strategies of Oostenberg municipality . Public Admin. Thesis. Bellville: UWC. (Unpublished).

South Africa. Dept. of Higher Education. (1997). Education White Paper 3: A programme for the transformation of higher education. Pretoria: DOE.

South Africa. Dept. of Higher Education. (2001). National Plan Higher Education. South Africa. (1998). Employment Equity Act, 1998. Act No.55 of 1998.

South Africa. (1998). Skills Development Act, 1998. Act No.97 of]99&
Subotzky. George. (2002?). "Addressing equity and excellence in relation to employment:: what prospects for transformative change in South Africa" (Forthcoming article in Equity and Excellence in Education).