Women's Representation in the Era of Decentralisation

The issue of women has been very complex when it comes to representation and decentralisation of power by governments in democratically organised societies. International organisations, such as the United Nations, are putting pressure for gender equality to be addressed at the local government level, closer to the people. Studies have shown that women participate in greater numbers in local governments to fight against under-representation in decision-making processes (Hassim, 2005). However, this is not the case in every country, due to religious, political and cultural influences. This study attempts to address gender inequality issues at the local government level in South Africa. The overall objective of the study is to investigate women s representation and participation at Msunduzi Municipality. Also, the study explores how women councillors are gaining support from other stakeholders in terms of addressing gender issues. Barriers and challenges women councillors are facing, and factors contributing to successful representation at the local government level are identified.

Autorentext

Brian Kwazi Majola is a Lecturer in the Faculty of Management, University of KwaZulu-Natal, where he specialises on labour related issues.He holds two Honour's degrees,and two Master's degrees, a Master of Commerce from UKZN and a Master of Science from the University of Manchester, in England, United Kingdom. He is currently pursuing PhD.