Olivier, Ursulene2025-07-212024Olivier, Ursulene . (2024). The gendered barriers women face in politics: The case study of South Africa [Masters dissertation, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg]. WIReDSpace. https://hdl.handle.net/10539/45655https://hdl.handle.net/10539/45655A research report submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the Master of Arts in International Relations , In the Faculty of Humanities, Social Science, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024Women politicians face nefarious and diverse obstacles. Their voices are both needed and lacking in the halls of national decision-making. According to the 2022 Global Gender Gap Report (GGGR) the gap in global female Political Empowerment has consistently remained the largest since the first report was published in 2006. Globally women only have 22% of the Political Empowerment that men have. This research conducts a discourse and content analyses of female political representation in South Africa and whether this translates into better outcomes for gender equality in broader society. It investigates the social constructs of political hegemonic masculinity and political patronage and the role it plays in the political careers of women to reach executive level positions such as becoming a cabinet minister and president. Key findings are gender stereotypes and gender roles found in both social constructs keep women out of political power. Many women politicians also do not champion the gender equality cause in South Africa in support of political hegemonic masculinity and political patronage.en© 2024 University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.UCTDGendered BarriersWomen in PoliticsSouth AfricaPolitical Hegemonic MasculinityPolitical PatronageGender RolesGender StereotypesViolence Against Women in Politics (VAWP)ClientelismCorruptionFactionalismState CaptureGender QuotasSubstantive RepresentationSubscriptive RepresentationFeminist InstitutionalismDissertationUniversity of the Witwatersrand, JohannesburgSDG-5: Gender equality