Hon Chair, Deputy President, Ministers, Deputy Ministers, hon members, I feel honoured and humbled to be part of this very relevant and important debate. Women are like volcanoes: When they offer their experience and assistance to humankind, all maps change and new developments emerge as the truth. It is important that we take note that in this women's debate, it does not necessarily mean that only women must participate. Men can also participate, because this is not just an issue about women, it is an issue for us all.
Before the 1970s, women's history was an underreported topic with little public education concentrated on women's history, but that did not mean women had not made history worthy of exposure or honour. Progress in science and technology has been a key driver of human societal development, vastly expanding the horizon of human potential, enabling a radical transformation in the quality of life enjoyed by millions of people. The harnessing of modern sources of energy counts as a major accomplishment in the past's scientific and technological progress.
In South Africa, this is not the case, especially when considering the fact that our country has been divided through racial policies for some decades. This, however, does not limit the fact that women's participation in science and technology remains a powerful force in transforming the socioeconomic ills that dominated the history of oppression of women in South Africa by the previous regime, more especially of black women generally and Africans in particular. This became a reality when the first ever democratic election, won by the ANC in 1994, changed the apartheid laws that were oppressive. As a matter of fact, thousands of women are today employed in factories, private companies and government institutions, while others are self-employed or hold top positions in political parties, for instance in the ANC.
Rural survival strategies demand that young women fully contribute to meeting the livelihood needs in their households from an early age. Consequently, youth, as a transitional stage, barely exists for a large majority of rural girls, and the poor in particular. Rural households and gender-divided labour are such that full control of the production process is virtually impossible for women. It is in that context that the Department of Science and Technology established the Information and Communication Technology Research and Development and Innovation Strategy, targeting rural and other marginalised girls for development.
One of the fundamental rights enshrined in our Constitution is the right to education. It is important that young girls in rural areas are prepared for productive lives in both rural and urban environments. This will enable more girls on our continent to access education and training and to play an active role in politics in general. The benefit of women's education can be seen both in terms of their own human capital, job remuneration and the ability to contribute to the economy, as well as in terms of the next generation. Evidence indicates that female education improves infant survival rates and nutrition directly through the quality of care women provide.
The right to education will increase achievements in parity in education at secondary and tertiary levels, increase retention rates for girls and increase literacy levels of women through adult education. On its own, this is already a sufficient reason to celebrate the centenary of International Women's Day. Today, we will be celebrating our successes in terms of empowering women in science and technology. In March 2004, Nomathemba Kontyo, a Grade 11 learner at the Fezeka Senior Secondary School in Gugulethu, represented South Africa and Africa at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration. She was a finalist in an international essay writing competition on the topic: "Mars and Other Celestial Bodies". This, indeed, showcases the potential that women have in representing our country internationally.
The proportion of women students increased significantly from 2004 to 2009, with female students making up 48% of the total number of students. In 2009, out of 418 postgraduate students, only 199 were female. The capacities in our Departments of Basic Education and of Higher Education and Training will need to be strengthened in order to mitigate the challenges of women's access to education and equality.
It is very important that we take note that it is only the ANC that has elevated this progress of women in our country, and you find yourself becoming surprised when the hon Groenewald comes here and claims that they recognise women, whereas here in Parliament they don't even have a single woman representing them in the FF Plus. [Laughter.]