Two decades of jurisprudence on substantive gender equality
What the Constitutional Court got right and wrong
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12330601 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Lee Stone (0000-0002-6387-1896, Schlumberger (Ireland), corresponding author) |
| Year | 2016 |
| Volume | 30 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Pages | 10-25 |
| Publication date | 2016-01-02 |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Agenda (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1013-0950 • E-ISSN: 2158-978X |
| Publisher | Taylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/10130950.2016.1189239 |
| OpenAlex | W2411400495 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 10 |
Philosophically it is accepted that a constitution represents a state’s solemn commitment towards achieving the objectives set out within that sacred document. Given South Africa’s past, the Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996, holds the promise of a free, democratic and egalitarian society. Underpinning the Constitution is the African concept of Ubuntu which itself is premised on notions of dignity, compassion, humanity, forgiveness and reconciliation: substantive concepts which are intended to heal the divisions of the past and fundamentally alter the South African legal, socio-political and economic landscape. Engaging with pertinent case law emanating from the Constitutional Court, an analysis is undertaken as to whether the provisions on gender equality contained in the Constitution have lived up to the expectation and obligation placed on them to transform South African society. It is argued that the Constitutional Court has made bold and courageous decisions which have stayed true to the rule of law by developing laws to bring them into consonance with the Constitution, thereby engineering society to give meaningful effect to gender equality. However, much progress still remains to be made, particularly in light of the Court’s apparent ignorance of the lack of agency, and autonomy and empowerment suffered by many women
Autonomy · Constitution · Constitutional court · Democracy · Dignity · Jurisprudence · Political science · Politics · Sociology · Human Rights and Development · Judicial and Constitutional Studies · Law · Legal Issues in South Africa
| Highly cited | No |
|---|