CHAPTER 6: CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS
6.2. Summary of the Research
This dissertation aimed at investigating and uncovering the challenges of the application of the Gender Mainstreaming Strategy in rural communities. Mogodi Village, in the Limpopo Province was identified as the study area (chapter 1). A literature review has contributed to the knowledge in terms of how gender mainstreaming has emerged. The discussion focused on the location of gender in the broader framework of the international development thinking, practice and policy approach. The approaches to gender studies were also identified and discussed. The identified gender approaches were classified into three groups namely; the traditional gender equality approaches, the development-specific gender equality approaches and the different approaches in gender equality policies. Under the traditional gender equality approaches, three approaches which include the gender equality approach, the gender differences approach and the gender plurality approach were discussed. The development-specific gender equality approaches include Women in Development, Women and Development, Gender and Development, and Third World Women. The different approaches in gender equality policies are the equal treatment in legislation and the specific or targeted equality policies. The aim of these approaches was to achieve gender equality between men and women and they did not achieve it.
Furthermore, the general principles and objectives of the Gender Mainstreaming Initiatives were also discussed. There are four general principles which are as follows:
the integration of gender equality concerns into the analyses and formulation of all policies; to recognise the need not just to add in gender, but to challenge the status quo so that gender issues are not marginalised and ignored; the participation of women as decision-makers in determining priorities in the mainstreaming process and giving men and women equal opportunities to realise their human rights despite the fact that they have different needs and priorities. In addition, the principles of some institutions such as UNESCO and the United Nations were also discussed. The main objective of the Gender Mainstreaming Initiatives is to integrate gender equality concerns into the design, implementation and all operations of the development projects and programmes in order to avoid an “end-of-pipeline” gender equality strategy. Measures for practising gender mainstreaming were discussed too and they included: women empowerment and consideration of human rights, participation and consultation of women and capacity building for women. The international and sectoral experiences were also highlighted (chapter 2).
Still on the literature review, gender inequality and challenges of gender mainstreaming in South Africa were discussed. To address that, the apartheid construction of South African women’s lives was discussed. This was to give the background of the past South Africa and how it influenced the lives of women. In addition to that, the principles and measures of the Gender Mainstreaming Initiatives were discussed in order to assess the application of the strategy in South Africa. Gender and water in the rural areas was also discussed in order to introduce the challenges that are faced in the application of Gender Mainstreaming Strategy. The challenges which are faced in the application of the strategy include: structural challenges, creating awareness and understanding, epistemological issues, actors/change agents, linking gender to training and performance of management professionals, implementation of the strategy, sustainability issues, cultural/traditional issues, attitudinal change, and constitutional contradictions (chapter 3).
As part of the study, the research design and methodology were also outlined. The research used both qualitative and quantitative approaches by means of which both
primary and secondary data was collected. Primary data was collected through observations and questionnaires. Secondary data was collected through reading, analysis and an understanding of relevant debates and models of gender mainstreaming within the water resources management sector. The research limitations and how the ethics of the community were considered were also discussed (chapter 4).
The survey conducted in Mogodi Village revealed its geographic, cultural and developmental infrastructure background and how these impact on the application of the Gender Mainstreaming Initiatives in water resources management. The background militates against the successful application of the strategy in Mogodi village. The characteristics of the Gender Mainstreaming Initiatives of the village were also discussed together with the pragmatic measures applied in water resources management. In Mogodi Village there are no specific measures designed for the application of the strategy. It was also revealed that there are no mechanisms used to release women from their traditional household roles. Both the characteristics of the strategy and lack of pragmatic measures in the village, militate against gender equality.
The application of the strategy was also discussed in terms of women’s participation in the processes of the water resources management, women’s empowerment and capacity development, access to all the positions in the water committee and their consultation in water related issues. From the survey results, it was clear that most women do not participate in the processes of the water committee. This is due to lack of empowerment and capacity of women. As most women do not attend community meetings because they are too busy with their household chores, they are in most cases not consulted on water related issues. This has a negative impact on gender equality. The extent of the application of the strategy in the village was discussed and it was clear that, the strategy still needs improvements. Moreover, the challenges which were faced in the village during the application of the strategy were also identified and discussed. Among the discussed challenges there were constitutional contradictions, traditional and cultural beliefs and epistemological issues (chapter 5).