Throughout the first decade of democracy, the South African National Government has repeatedly and consistently expressed an unwavering commitment to obtaining gender equality on all levels of government and in all sectors. This is evidenced at various levels: the Constitution, ratification of international instruments, implementation of national legislation and policies, and established institutional structures and mechanisms that promote gender equality. During the past ten years South Africa’s commitment to gender equity has been translated into a National Gender Empowerment Policy that has been designed to guide and direct national, provincial, and civil society efforts to assist the government in this process. Gender Budgeting has been mandated in government departments based on based on international legal commitments and national policy documents. Activities have also taken into consideration research conducted by the Women Budget’s Initiative (WBI) and the Institute for Democracy in South Africa (IDASA). The WBI became possible when South Africa was chosen as one of four Commonwealth countries to participate in a pilot study aimed at integrating gender into macro-economic policy.
