Eliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005 and in all levels of education no later than 2015.

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Case study: South Africa

It has been ten years since the advent of democracy in South Africa and since then efforts have been made to address a number of inequalities in education and employment.

South Africa has a high school enrolment rate of over 80%, but there are high repetition rates at all levels and high drop-out rates, particularly among girls. (UNICEF)

South Africa ranks eight in the world for women’s representation in government.

While there are several new laws with direct bearing on the quality of women’s lives, for many the social and economic struggle for gender equity remains.

As part of a BBC series looking at the Millennium Development Goals in Africa, 16 year-old Lucy discusses her ambitions as a young South African woman.

“Firstly you have got to understand yourself and understand your situation and your environment – this is who I am and these are the things that I have.

When you understand yourself you have to know what you want to do. You need a focus in life. If you are focused then you can reach your goal.

When I am older I would like to be an electrical engineer because it is different from what women used to do a long time ago.

I would like to be different from the others. I would like to do something that most women are afraid of. I would just like to show them that we can also do it. We can also be whatever we want to be.”