Transformation in the South African Military: A Study of the Gender- Representivity Component in the South African Navy

In 1994 the newly elected ANC government embarked on an ambitious project of transformation, of which gender equality is a critical principle. The South African Navy is required to implement this principle of gender equality as part of its transformation. Our assessment starts with the Navy’s policies regarding Gender Transformation, proceeding to an examination of the numbers of women serving in the Navy, their rank distribution, the situation compared to 1999 and the situation compared to men in the Navy. The growth in the number of women and their current number is strikingly good. Yet they may not indicate any success in transforming the SAN because the number of women in temporary positions is high and because temporary employees usually do not leave their mark on an organisation.