Perceptions of the Legitimacy of Women's Human Rights in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa

The origins of this paper lie in a series of workshops that were conducted by the author with men within the Eastern Cape province of South Africa from October 2000 to March 2001. The purpose of these workshops was to examine men's perceptions of the role and status of women in the country since the advent of democracy. Instead of focussing on women's experiences, men repeatedly bewailed their position, claiming that their lives had changed for the worse because of government initiatives aimed at women. During discussions with colleagues that followed the workshops, the author determined the need to investigate this further, especially in the light of the championing of human rights by the present African National Congress led national government. Thus this research project was conceived.

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