Keynote address: Promoting Access for Women in Housing
8 Aug 2003
Minister of Housing Brigitte Mabandla
The Chairperson
Ladies and Gentleman
I am indeed pleased to be here today, on the eve of National Women’s Day and to contribute to promoting access for women in housing. I anticipate and hope that this engagement today is just the beginning of our work together in uplifting and improving the plight of women in housing and in society generally.
Over the past years the housing programme in South Africa has been referred to as one of our governments great achievements. The scale of delivery that we have achieved over the past years has been phenomenal and yet despite our achievements there remain some challenges to be tackled by all of us.
Like so many other developing countries, we cannot begin to talk of any progress of a substantial nature in eradicating the high levels of poverty around us, if there is no adequate shelter for the communities that need it, both in urban and rural areas. Disadvantaged communities, the majority of which are women in developing countries are the worst hit by these deficiencies. The lack of access to adequate shelter, sanitation and water have profound effects on the lives of women. In most instances, women are compounded by the inequities that they experience in other areas of their lives, such as access to education and economic opportunities.
Over the last decade there has been an increased acknowledgement of the relationship between equity and empowerment for women and their access to housing, safe water and sanitation. Indeed, the concept of women’s empowerment means very little if these practical needs are not fully addressed. In many instances, it is actually through accessing housing and other basic needs that the notion of equity and empowerment can finally and practically be realised. Interestingly, but maybe not surprisingly, it appears that it is women’s efforts to deal with seemingly non gender-specific needs that results in them entering into community decision making or economic processes.
In the Habitat Agenda, a commitment has been made to integrate a “gender” perspective in the design and implementation of environmentally sound and sustainable resource management mechanisms. These include production techniques and infrastructure development in rural and urban areas. In our country, our constitution, and housing legislation are clear on the prohibiting of unfair discrimination on the ground of gender and promoting the needs of marginalized women.
The extent to which such attention has reduced women’s vulnerability to urban housing and sanitation inequities is however still limited. Although on the one hand housing and infrastructural delivery to communities addresses and eases some of the burdens that women experience, on the other hand many of the projects continue to exclude women from planning processes and implementation decision-making. It thus becomes critical for local government especially to promote women’s participation in housing and infrastructure projects as well as in spatial development and integrated development planning processes. This is necessary both if we are to grow as women in social housing as well as if we are to deliver effectively as government.
The Department of Housing’s goal is to ensure a sustainable housing and human settlement process to achieve housing with secure tenure, within a safe and healthy environment, and the development of viable communities for all people. In attempting to fulfil these goals, a housing capital subsidy programme has been introduced to help the poorest section of the community, regardless of race, religion or gender to satisfy their housing needs.
Whilst it is generally accepted that the housing policy allows women to be empowered through access to the subsidy and access to economic professional opportunities, it has been recognised that a significant number of women are not always in reality gaining the anticipated effective access to these opportunities.
In acknowledging some of the shortcomings, it is equally important to recognise some of the strategic interventions that have been initiated to date in the housing sector to promote women’s access to opportunities and ultimately their empowerment in society. These initiatives are being championed by a number of stakeholders in the Housing sector, including government, housing support institutions including the Social Housing Foundation, network and support organisations such as Women for Housing, construction sector organisations, NGO’s, community based organisations and individual women from various communities. These initiatives reflect ways in which women in South Africa are taking back the housing and human settlement environment.
The strategies currently being implemented and which underpin the approach to promoting access for women in housing include:
Recognising that women and men experience and use housing and, human settlements differently, resulting in them prioritising different areas of service delivery etc.
Women cannot be ignored in decision making on housing issues and require capacity building and training to participate effectively and efficiently in the housing sector.
Women contribute to housing and participate in housing delivery at a number of levels, ranging from beneficiaries, housing activists to decision-makers on housing policy. This participation however has been facilitated by a number of policy initiatives that have been implemented by government and support institutions.
Women as beneficiaries
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One of the aims of the National Housing programme is the provision of security of tenure. Previously, the lack of security of tenure for women especially, resulted in them being discriminated against and victimised. Provincial Housing Departments in their administration of the Housing Subsidy Programme are committed to ensuring that title deeds for housing be registered in the name of the applicant and spouse or partner. This practice will ensure that the female partner is protected in terms of her rights and access to housing.
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Over the past years the number of de facto and de jure female-headed households has been expanding. It is essential that housing administrators acknowledge this so that the active promotion of women’s access to housing opportunities can be encouraged. Government is committed to ensuring that the percentage of housing subsidies that are allocated to women is representative of the percentage of female-headed households in a particular province. The Department of Housing is therefore currently monitoring the number of female-headed households that are accessing the housing subsidy. To date 50% of the subsidies approved have been allocated to females.
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It is important to ensure that women are not merely perceived as recipients of housing but rather as active participants in the housing process. As part of the consultation process women beneficiaries must be targeted to provide inputs on issues such as levels of services, design of houses, as well location of facilities etc. By addressing the concerns of women human settlements can become spaces that are safe and sustainable.
Women as implementers of Housing Projects
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The Peoples Housing Process is a critical programme in the implementation of the Housing Policy in South Africa. It is based on the premise of people as key resources and decision makers in the delivery of housing. This programme has however also highlighted the role of women in housing. The Peoples Housing process recognises the role that women, especially Black women have played and continue to play in building and maintaining their housing and human settlements and developing their communities. Majority of the community institutions that are set up to provide housing consists predominantly of women. These women are actively involved in the planning, financial arrangements and construction of their houses.
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According to the Homeless Peoples Federation, an organisation that are ardent supporters and implementers of the Peoples Housing Process, at least 70% of their active membership comprise of women. Through the Peoples Housing Process it is perceived that when women take control over a housing project, they are not only building houses but just as importantly initiate processes that assist in the building of families and communities. Thus women have been seen to be at the forefront of a silent revolution, taking back their housing and communities.
This model of women’s participation however needs to become more widespread in other housing projects in the country. Especially with the significantly high percentage of female-headed households in the country, women’s participation in the decision- making processes around housing must be increased.
Given women’s traditional role in housing construction and maintenance it seems only logical that they should be involved in the construction of housing. Today there are an increasing number of women that are practicing as sub contractors, contractors and housing developers. This is in part due to a MinMec Resolution, which advocates that 10% of a Provincial Housing Departments budget allocation should be utilised for housing projects that are undertaken by female developers or contractors.
In order to achieve this target provincial departments are implementing new procurement policies eg calling for closed tenders that encourage the submission of projects where women are the developers’ and/ or contractors. Thus the housing programme reflects the department’s commitment to women not only as beneficiaries but also as active participants and service providers in the delivery of housing.
I am aware however that the setting of targets alone will not ensure women’s success in the housing sector. The presumption that women are minors is still very much an underlying ideology in our communities and therefore much support is needed for women to benefit both as beneficiaries and generators of wealth from the initiatives that are already underway. I therefore see today as a forum, more accurately an opportunity where some of the support that is needed by women in the sector is clearly identified and articulated.
In an attempt to establish equity and equality in our society and in housing, especially between men and women we still have a number of hurdles to overcome, including women’s
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Limited access to economic opportunities;
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Limited access to educational and training opportunities;
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Limited accessing to finance; and
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Limited access to decision making
Thus despite significant initiatives by government and other role players, a gender bias still persists hindering the advancement and entrance of women in the sector.
For us to be successful in promoting women’s access in housing it is clear that closer monitoring of strategies and interventions currently being implemented is necessary, additional research in making more visible women’s activities as beneficiaries and change agents in housing development is essential and that networking and mentoring relationships amongst women in the housing sector must be encouraged.
Seeing so many people here today interested in the research that has been undertaken and taking this opportunity for discussion, debate and networking makes me confident that we are on the right road.
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