Thesis (MA)--University of Stellenbosch, 2011. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Both democracy and civil society is seen to be dysfunctional in many African countries.
Political leaders are not accountable to the people and citizens’ participation in the
democracies is low. Particularly, women have often been neglected both within formal
politics and the civil society. The aim of this thesis has been to investigate the role of the
women’s movements in Uganda, Kenya and South Africa. The study has focused on the
relationship between the women’s movement and the state, and further addressed the extent to
which the women’s movements have been able to direct the state and influence policymaking
for improved women’s rights and gender equality in the respective countries.
The thesis has found that the relationship between the women’s movements and the state in
the three countries inhibits very different characteristics that give rise to varying degrees of
success from the work of the women’s movements. Further, the relationship has been
subjected to changes in accordance with the overall political developments in the three
countries. In Uganda and South Africa the political transitions of the mid 1980s and early
1990s, each respectively represented a period of good connection and communication
between the women’s movements and the state. The women’s movements were able to
present a strong voice and, thereby, were able to influence the state for the adoption of
national gender machineries. After the political transitions, the relationship between the
women’s movements and the state in both Uganda and South Africa has, however, become
more constrained. In South Africa, the debates on women’s rights and gender equality have
been moved from the terrain of the civil society and into the state, leading to a seemingly
weakened voice for the women’s movement outside the state. In Uganda, the women’s
movement have come to be subjected to pressure for co-optation by the government. The
government does not genuinely uphold a concern for increased women’s rights and gender
equality, and the women’s movement has at times been directly counteracted.
Further, in Kenya, the women’s movement’s relationship with the state is characterised by
competition rather than communication. The women’s movement is subjected to high degrees
of repression, attempts of cooptation and silencing from the state, and the women’s movement
have been effectively restricted from presenting a strong voice and influence the state to any
great.
The three case- studies illustrates that the political opportunity structures present at a
particular time influence the extent to which women’s movements can work effectively in
different contexts. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Menige Afrikaland se demokrasie sowel as burgerlike samelewing word as disfunksioneel
beskou. Politieke leiers doen geen verantwoording aan die mense nie, en burgers se deelname
aan demokrasie is gebrekkig. Veral vroue word afgeskeep in die formele politieke sfeer én die
burgerlike samelewing. Die doel van hierdie tesis is om die rol van die vrouebewegings in
Uganda, Suid-Afrika en Kenia te ondersoek. Die studie konsentreer op die verhouding tussen
die vrouebeweging en die staat, en handel voorts oor die mate waarin die verskillende
vrouebewegings die staat kan lei en beleidbepaling kan beïnvloed om beter vroueregte en
gendergelykheid in die onderskeie lande teweeg te bring.
Die tesis bevind dat die verhouding tussen die vrouebewegings en die staat in die drie lande
onder beskouing baie uiteenlopende kenmerke toon, wat wisselende grade van sukses in die
vrouebewegings se werk tot gevolg het. Voorts verander dié verhouding namate die
oorkoepelende politieke bestel in die drie lande verander.
Uganda en Suid-Afrika se politieke oorgange in die middeltagtiger- en vroeë negentigerjare
onderskeidelik het ʼn tydperk van goeie bande en kommunikasie tussen die vrouebewegings
en die staat verteenwoordig. Die vrouebewegings se stem het groot gewig gehad en kon dus
die staat beïnvloed om nasionale beleid en werkswyses met betrekking tot gender in te stel.
Ná die onderskeie politieke oorgange is die verhouding tussen die vrouebeweging en die staat
in sowel Uganda as Suid-Afrika egter aansienlik ingeperk. In Suid-Afrika het die debat oor
vroueregte en gendergelykheid van die gebied van die burgerlike samelewing na die staat
verskuif, wat die vrouebeweging se stem buite die staat aansienlik verswak het. In Uganda is
die vrouebeweging weer onderwerp aan druk van koöpsie deur die regering. Die regering blyk
nie werklik besorg te wees oor beter vroueregte en gendergelykheid nie, en die
vrouebeweging word by tye direk teengewerk.
Daarbenewens word die Keniaanse vrouebeweging se verhouding met die staat gekenmerk
deur kompetisie eerder as kommunikasie. Die vrouebeweging het te kampe met heelwat
onderdrukking en koöpsie- en muilbandpogings van die staat, en word in effek daarvan
weerhou om hul menings te lug en die staat in enige beduidende mate te beïnvloed met die
oog op groter doelgerigtheid en beter beleidbepaling wat vroueregte en gendergelykheid
betref.
Die drie gevallestudies toon dat die politieke geleentheidstrukture op ʼn bepaalde tydstip ʼn
uitwerking het op die mate waarin vrouebewegings doeltreffend in verskillende kontekste kan
funksioneer.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/6875 |
| Date | 03 1900 |
| Creators | Johansen, Kine Fjell |
| Contributors | Gouws, A., University of Stellenbosch. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Political Science. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : University of Stellenbosch |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | en_ZA |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | x, 141 p. |
| Rights | University of Stellenbosch |
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