Women Parliamentarians Concerned About Decline in Women’s Leadership Representation at P20 Meeting

The Speaker of the National Assembly, Ms Thoko Didiza, has expressed concern about the decline in women’s representation in leadership. She was addressing the second day of the P20 Meeting of Women Parliamentarians currently underway in Kleinmond.

“What is it about legislation that creates a situation where we advance and then take two steps backwards?” she asked. “Is it the culture, or could it be that women do not want to sacrifice their professions to join political systems? What needs to change in the political environment that makes younger women find legislatures unappealing? Is it the harassment women face when they stand for office?”

The meetings of Women Parliamentarians and Young Parliamentarians serve as curtain-raisers for the P20 Summit, where Speakers of Parliaments from the G20 countries are gathering to discuss areas of cooperation in the legislative sector. The P20 Summit starts on Wednesday and will be headlined by President Cyril Ramaphosa’s address. Several other Speakers from provincial legislatures, multi-party forums such as the Pan-African Parliament, the African Union (AU) and the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) will also attend.

Ms Didiza noted that cultural dynamics may still be a significant barrier to women’s advancement. “We want inclusivity in the economy, but what are those unwritten criteria used to exclude women from opportunities? There are nuances that ensure women do not have an edge in the corporate sector. In the public sector, we see increased women’s representation, but in the corporate sector, the numbers remain poor and misaligned,” she said. The Speaker also noted a troubling trend of the difficulty women face in climbing the corporate ladder after leaving politics, while men tend to advance more easily.

A delegate, Ms Jane Mananiso, who is the Chairperson of Parliament’s Select Committee on Security and Justice, raised concerns about alienation when meetings are conducted in languages many women do not speak. She also sought clarity on issues of teenage pregnancy and challenges faced by women in rural areas.

Another delegate, Ms Nkateko Ndlovu, highlighted how discrimination persists in rural communities, where women are often denied plots of land for housing or smallholder farming. “Patriarchy is an animal that still exists in our culture,” she said. “This is not just a South African problem but an international one that needs to be addressed. The policies must change and prescribe exact numbers and percentages.” She stressed that such measures must become permanent and compulsory if the world is to deal with patriarchy decisively.

Ms Didiza was later joined by the Chairperson of the National Council of Provinces, Ms Refilwe Mtshweni-Tsipane, to outline the programme to members of the media for the Summit, which starts tomorrow.

The P20 is a historic first for Parliament and provides a legislative dimension to global governance, fostering inter-parliamentary cooperation and enabling engagement between governments, parliaments and other stakeholders in implementing G20 outcomes.

Sibongile Maputi
30 September 2025