The ethical demise of the politcal policy of affirmative action as a motive for enhancing women and education in South Africa : a double setback of a reverse strategy

Abstract

In this article, the author questions whether the South African government is deceiving itself by parading an ultraliberal Con-stitution while failing to implement gender equality in educa-tion, society and the church. She explores the political policy of affirmative action as it pertains to rectifying the educational and gender inequalities of the past. Regrettably, since 1994, new discriminatory practices have emerged in the form of in-creasing gender violence, xenophobia, homophobia, corrup-tion, fraudulent leadership, abuse of freedom and new expres-sions of exclusivity. This leads the author to question whether the provisions for affirmative action and gender equality in education and employment are nothing more than a political smoke screen, since instead of levelling the playing field, these provisions appear to have had the opposite effect. Conse-quently, the author examines whether the provision for gender equality in education actually poses a threat to the long-established cultural and social traditions that regard men as the dominant force in both public and private domains.