By Gladys Fred Kole
South Sudan national minister of Petroleum has said the country cannot go far without taking the aspect of gender equality seriously.
Mr. Puot Kang Chol, while speaking at the closure of energy conference in Juba on Friday, stressed the need to empower women in the country.
“We have too many men in this room; I think it is high time and very important for us to come up with a scheme to empower our women in the country and in the sector” he suggested.
Mr. Puot narrated that they always face challenges to explain whenever for conferences abroad and are questioned if there were no women in South Sudan.
“We find ourselves as men alone, much as we don’t want to, but people are taken based on what they do,” he said.
It is based on such experiences that Minister Puot now champions the need for women’s empowerment and gender quality.
“We cannot survive without women, of course, and when we cannot, and then it means we cannot take this country very far without equal footing,” he reiterated.
Puot stressed that the narrative and slogan “Mara shakit” should come to an end, adding there are very strong women in the country.
Gender equality in South Sudan is shaped by prevailing cultural norms. Harmful gender norms as a result of a patriarchal culture have left women in South Sudan marginalized and even excluded from participating at any level of decision-making or political activity.
This is especially true in the countryside, which tends to be even more traditional.
Change needs to happen locally but needs to be supported nationally. Since South Sudan gained independence in 2011, there have been improvements in national policy and laws on gender equality.
Many of these recognize the historic inequalities between women and men. However, old habits are hard to break.
South Sudan’s ongoing crisis has left the country without a functioning government structure, meaning that gains made in gender equality so far are not sustainable.