Namibia

Despite the postindependence efforts to improve the social, political, and economic position of Namibian women, there continue to be considerable discrepancies in the situations of men and women. The government of the Republic of Namibia has developed a substantial Gender Machinery (a system embodied by governmental institutions aimed at the promotion of gender equality) and counts on a significant number of associations working on women's issues. Yet, customary law still has a great influence in women's daily lives at all levels.

Women in Namibia constitute 51 percent of the population. Female life expectancy is 62 years. Literacy ratio for women compared with men is 0.96. These differences increase when talking about income ratio, as women's salaries are almost half of those of men (0.57), despite the fact that women's participation in the labor force is 46 percent. There are 30 percent of women in decision-making positions: 55 percent are female professionals and specialized workers. Since 2005, parliament seats are 27 percent women.

The National Gender Machinery is composed of a Ministry of Gender Equality and Child Welfare, as well as gender focal points in any other ministry, all of which are used to coordinate gender mainstreaming. However, there are no governmental gender structures locally yet. The government of Namibia is linked to supranational organizations, with specific gender units within them at the regional and the continental levels.

The numerous women's associations of Namibia are working on legal reforms; on raising awareness on the position of Namibian women; at lobbying on legal, medical, and emotional issues; on offering support to female victims of gender-based violence; on creating resource and research centers; and so on. In terms of health, many Nigerian women are human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-positive.

The legal system includes the following: the Constitution of Namibia, which recognizes the significance of gender differences, enshrines the principle of equality, and prohibits gender-based discrimination, among other forms; the 1996 Married Persons Equality Act, which grants men and women equal access to property beyond land and allows that right to each spouse without his or her partner's consent; the 1997 National Gender Policy, which increases female participation in politics and decision making at all levels; the 2003 Anti-Rape Law, which broadens the definition of rape and punishes perpetrators of spousal rape; and Article 5 of the 2007 Labour Law, which prohibits sexual discrimination at the workplace.

Namibian legislation guarantees women's civil rights, but discriminatory traditions widely persist. Although the constitution enshrines gender equality, the daily lives of a vast majority of women continue to be determined by customary and common law in a population setting in which 80 percent of [Page 992]the inhabitants are Christian. Legislation has had little effect on changing attitudes and practices that are embedded within culture and tradition.