Sustainable Development

Gender equality is essential if we aim to live in a productive and happy society. The proportion of women in managerial positions in South Africa remains low and gender-based violence remains a problem. 

Universities can drive change in this metric by ensuring that all appointments and promotions are considered irrespective of gender. Education in the local community regarding gender equality can also help improve the lives of girls and women. 

SDG 5 links with poverty and hunger (SDGs 1 and 2) and economic growth (SDG 8) as female empowerment has been proven to improve these metrics. SDG 5 also has a strong link to reducing inequalities (SDG 10). Gender equality is linked to the AU Goal 17: Full gender equality in all spheres of life.

There are a range of programmes at Stellenbosch University that contribute towards SDG 5: Gender Equality and AU Goal 17: Full gender equality in all spheres of life. For more information, see the Division of Social Impact’s Platform for SDG 5.

• Two young scientists from Stellenbosch were awarded grants as part of the L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science South Africa National Young Talents Programme. 
• Stellenbosch University provides maternity leave as part of its benefits, as well as adoptive leave for parents of adoptive children under the age of two years.  

Discrimination and Equality Policies 

Stellenbosch University strives to be an institution that promotes equality and fairness.  

• The University has policies in place regarding equality and fairness for staff and students and has an unfair discrimination policy that includes discrimination based on gender and sexual orientation. 
• The document also outlines reporting procedures and advises staff and students what steps to follow if they need to report an incident.  
• The Equity Unit hosted webinars on rethinking gender during Women’s Month and ran a cyberbullying campaign focussing on harassment and queerphobia. During the year, the unit also contracted an external service provider to develop an online tool for reporting and tracking harassment and to make it easier for staff and students to report incidents. The system went online in April 2022. 
• Stellenbosch University’s podcast, Talks at Stellenbosch University, ran a woman centric line-up in August 2021 in celebration of women’s month. The line-up included a talk about women in science and how to encourage more female participation in the field.