The Implementation of Gender Equity and Affirming Disability Mainstreaming in the Public Service and Provinces

1
The Implementation of Gender Equity and Affirming
Disability Mainstreaming in the Public Service
and Provinces
2
Introduction

• During our last presentation to this Committee in
  March 2013, the DPSA reported that the
  Department had commenced some studies to collect
  baseline data that would inform gender and
  disability management programming and, new
  strategies had been developed to improve
  departmental performance on the implementation of
  DPSA Strategic Frameworks and remedial plans for
  those not meeting employment equity targets. This
  presentation reports on progress in this regard.
• In analyzing the institutional mechanisms, roles
  and responsibilities around gender and womens
  empowerment to achieve equity, the DPSA used the
  SA National Policy Framework for Womens
  Empowerment and Gender Equality of 2000 as the
  point of reference. Other legislation such as the
  Constitution and the Employment Equity Act were
  also used as points of reference.
• For gender, the presentation will provide up to
  date information on the employment equity reports
  and the state of gender mainstreaming ( gleaned
  from the DPSA Gender mainstreaming Survey 2011)
  . The reports will also address structures
  intended to support and implement gender
  programmes, their funding, gaps/challenges in
  implementing programmes, interventions to date,
  their impact and the way forward.
• For disability, the presentation will report on
  the state of disability mainstreaming in the
  public service, progress with special focus on
  the results from some of the remedial initiatives
  the DPSA adopted to enhance disability
  mainstreaming.
• The presentation will also share some of the
  initiatives the DPSA has adopted to improve the
  monitoring of the two programmes and departmental
  compliance rates in reporting on the
  implementation of the two frameworks .

3
Framework for transformation

• Key pillars in addressing policy, projects and
  programmes for inclusivity, gender equality and
  disability Management

Enabling Environment
Equality of Opportunities
Mainstreaming
Barrier-Free Access
Addressing stigma discrimination Sensitisation
to remove stereotypes and attitudes Providing
adequate resources Conducting continuous audits
and research r
Implementation of Sensitive policies Setting
operating standards and procedures Setting
appropriate indicators Monitoring and
evaluation Reporting
Providing reasonable accommodation Provide
systematic and uniform guidelines Participation
and Inclusivity
Promoting Human rights and social
justice Promoting equity and equality Understandin
g and addressing diverse needs
4
Status Quo Gender
NAME PERCENTAGE REPRESENTATION (39.1) PERCENTAGE REPRESENTATION (39.1)
September 2012 June 2013
National departments 39.7 39.9
North West 37.7 36.9
Mpumalanga 34.5 33.8
Eastern Cape 35.0 36.9
Western Cape 34.6 36.2
Limpopo 41.2 41.6
Northern Cape 35.2 34.6
Free State 31.5 31.7
KwaZulu Natal 38.4 40.2
Gauteng 42.3 42.9
5
Representation of women in the four levels of SMS
in the Public Service

• At the end of June 2013 there were 9 130 filled
  SMS positions, women were 3 576 and men 5 554
• At level 13 there were 6 021 positions, 2 483
  were filled by women and men were 3 538
• At level 14 there were 2 404 positions, women
  were 854 and men 1 550
• At level 15 there were 561 positions, women were
  203 and men 358
• At level 16 there were 144 positions, women were
  36 and men were 108
• Of note, it is evident that discrepancies in
  favour of men still exist.
• Within the level of SMS, women still show a high
  concentration at entry level with a decline in
  numbers at top level.
• There is no Province that has reached 50
• Gauteng however retains its top performing
  position and Free State retains its lowest
  performing position.

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GENDER PROGRAMME ACTIVITIES

• In 2011 the DPSA conducted a survey to assess
  the extent of gender mainstreaming in the Public
  Service to obtain baseline information on
  gender mainstreaming trends, identify critical
  barriers and areas that need strengthening to
  advance womens empowerment and gender equality.
  The survey report has been printed and
  distributed .
• When the DPSA presented the 2011/12 Employment
  Equity report for the Public Service to Cabinet
  in November 2012, Cabinet approved the decision
  to hold DGs accountable for equity targets. The
  DPSA has since implemented this decision by
  integrating it in the review process of the PMDS
  for HODs. This is under consideration by the
  Minister.
• Departments hosted the Public Service Women
  Management Week (PSWMW) meetings during the last
  week of August 2012 to review progress made in
  implementation of the HODs 8-Principle Action
  Plan for Womens Empowerment Gender Equality.
  The compliance rate increased from 11 in 2011 to
  61.1 from both National Provincial
  Departments.
• The DPSA provides regular monitoring, evaluation
  and support for departments to strengthen
  compliance in the empowerment of women and
  achievement of gender equality. Departments that
  have representation of women at SMS below 30
  and less than 1 for people with disabilities are
  supported to develop and implement remedial plans
  to address identified gaps.

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Findings from Gender mainstreaming survey

• The Gender Mainstreaming survey showed that
  66.6 of departments had gender units. There is
  no uniformity in staffing and technical
  expertise. For this reason this does not
  translate into better mainstreaming of gender in
  departments.
• The Gender Mainstreaming survey and PSWMW
  reports also showed that the location of gender
  units in departments was not uniform most of the
  units were not located in the Office of the
  DG/HOD as provided for by the National Policy
  Framework on the Empowerment of Women and Gender
  Equality.
• In extreme cases, units that were supposed to
  coordinate and monitor the provincial programmes
  were moved to Departments of Social Development,
  i.e. NW and EC. The NW has since moved the
  programme back to the Office of the Premier.
• The staffing of the units is also not uniform,
  the majority had heads of the units at levels
  below SMS, with only a few having Directors and
  Chief Directors as heads.
• Budgeting for gender mainstreaming is also a
  challenge for most departments. The report showed
  that most departments were allocated a budget for
  the gender unit as opposed to mainstreaming
  gender into all departmental programmes.
• The technical skills required to mainstream
  gender is still very poor, and much of the
  challenges point to lack of relevant skills and
  human resources. Many departments are still
  unable to understand and implement gender
  mainstreaming effectively.

8
Policies to create enabling environment

• The Public Service ensures that gender and
  disability are mainstreamed into most of the
  policies, directives, strategies, directives
  and some of the decisions from the Public Service
  Coordinating Bargaining Council Resolutions .
• The Public Service has also ensured that founding
  documents and services of the GEMS have a bias
  towards women.
• At departmental level, it is evident that the
  required skills to make these policies responsive
  to womens empowerment and empowerment of
  disabled people are lacking. The new school of
  government will address some of these challenges.
• Disaggregation of departmental spend is also
  still not what it should be as it does not enable
  the DPSA to see how much economic empowerment for
  these two categories is achieved through
  procurement processes.

9
Monitoring, Evaluation and Support

• The DPSA has established good partnerships and
  working relationships with the following
  structures to promote effective monitoring and
  support for the Public Service
• Department of Monitoring and Evaluation (DPE) in
  the monitoring of implementation of equity in the
  public service (women and people with
  disabilities). The latest MPAT results show how
  poorly departments are doing in achieving equity.
  
• Commission for Employment Equity (CEE) from
  Department of Labour, with a resultant agreement
  that the Commission will increase the number of
  departments to be reviewed by the DoL
  Director-General.
• c. Department for Women Children and People
  with Disabilities (DWCPD), on disability
  management interventions for the Public Service.

10
Status Quo Disability
NAME PERCENTAGE REPRESENTATION (0.41) PERCENTAGE REPRESENTATION (0.41)
September 2012 June 2013
National departments 0.63 0.69
North West 0.40 0.40
Mpumalanga 0.40 0.41
Eastern Cape 0.37 0.40
Western Cape 0.34 0.36
Limpopo 0.33 0.36
Northern Cape 0.26 0.26
Free State 0.20 0.21
KwaZulu Natal 0.15 0.19
Gauteng 0.12 0.13
11
Representation of persons with disabilities at
various levels in the Public Service

• At the end of June 2013 there were 1 339 175
  people employed in the Public Service and 5 451
  were employees with disabilities Female 2239
  41.08
• Male 3212 58.92
• In the Middle Management Service there were 224
  employees with disabilities out of 22 044 males
  were 139 and females 85.
• There were 9 130 Senior Management positions
  filled at the end of June 2013 and employees with
  disabilities occupied 88 of those positions
  males were 64 and females 24
• Level 13 there were 59 employees with
  disabilities out of 6 021
• Level 14 there were 23 employees with
  disabilities out of 2 404
• Level 15 there were 6 employees with disabilities
  out of 561
• There are no employees with disabilities at level
  16 out of 144 positions

12
Compliance on JobAccess and Gender Equality
Strategic Frameworks

• Reporting on has improved considerably since the
  compliance formed part of the MPAT process.
• Western Cape (11 departments submitted, five
  signed and six not signed)
• Free State ( 10 departments submitted)
• Eastern Cape (None)
• Gauteng (One)
• KZN (None)
• Limpopo (None)
• Mpumalanga  (None)
• North West (None)
• Northern Cape (None)
• National Departments (Three)
• Tourism
• StatsSA
• DPSA 
• Total
• Provincial departments 22
• National departments 03
•  

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Departments that were requested to submit
remedial plans
Province No of Depts with Disability below 1 No of Depts with women at SMS below 30
Northern Cape 8 4
North West 7 2
Free State 6 6
Mpumalanga 4 5
Eastern Cape 7 4
Limpopo 7 1
Gauteng 5 1
KZN 8 5
Western Cape 4 3
National Departments 25 0
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Analysis of remedial plans

• There is an improvement in departments that are
  implementing remedial plans. Slide 10 above
  indicates that representation of persons with
  disabilities has improved in all seven provinces
  and national departments. Only two provinces
  remained at the same percentage.
• In slide 4, improvements were in six provinces
  and nationally and a decrease in three provinces.
  These are provinces that also indicated to us
  that they had moratoria in the filling of SMS
  positions.

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Capacity development

• Discussions have been initiated with the Deaf
  Institute for the intake of deaf interns that are
  being trained by the institute.
• PALAMA has trained 2012, 764 employees in the
  Disability Management Course and needs to
  increase this.

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Latest developments

• The Policy and Procedures on the Management of
  Sexual Harassment in the Public Service was
  approved. Roll out process will commence in
  November.
• One of the reports that we get from departments
  is the reluctance of persons with disabilities to
  disclose disabilities as they feel the PERSAL
  questions are discriminatory and too invasive.
• A process is underway between DPSA and the
  National Treasury to address this as part of
  PERSAL clean up. The definition of disability
  will be based on the UNCRPD and questions on
  impairments will be based on the Washington Group
  provisions.

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Challenges

• For both disability and Gender, the absence of
  sector specific legislation makes it difficult to
  enforce compliance besides the EEA. Some
  provinces continuously try to find ways of not
  implementing cabinet decisions on equity targets
  alleging that cabinet decisions are not binding.
• The role of the Portfolio Committee on enforcing
  accountability by departments that are not
  complying with policies that seek to address
  equity in the Public Service.

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Way forward

• There is a perception that the attrition rate of
  persons with disabilities in the Public Service
  is very high. The DPSA as part of its work plan
  this year, will undertake a study to establish
  the facts as what we know for sure is that
  persons with disabilities dont necessarily exit
  the Public Service they rotate within
  departments, and we would like to determine the
  extent of this rotation and the reasons for this.
• Consolidation of working relationships with the
  DPME, DWCPD, PALAMA with special focus on how to
  best improve gender and disability mainstreaming
  training
• Consolidate relationship with the DOL on
  monitoring of departmental performance around EE
  through increased DG Reviews.
• Relationship with the CEE for STATSA to collect
  more data on disability such as EAP and
  comprehensive disaggregation which includes
  disability, race, age and gender.

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THANK YOU