The South African government on Tuesday called for more women to serve in the armed forces to play an active role in the national defense.

The defense department's gender strategy is based on social justice, human dignity, advancing human rights and fighting inequality, said Minister of Defense and Military Veterans Nosiviwe Mapisa-Nqakula as addressing the women's conference at an air force base near Pretoria.

Many women in the country could join the South African National Defense Force (SANDF) and do well in the various services, said she.

The minister pointed out that the lack of communication between women and the armed forces is one of the main factors to hinder many women from joining the armed forces.

The negative and violent images of the armed forces from the films and news coverage also have a passive impact on women to join the SANDF, according to the minister.

She admitted that the pace of gender empowerment is still slow in the armed forces, saying "gender integration has not yet reached the required level we have anticipated, particularly in the higher echelons of leadership in the SANDF."

"We are still struggling to meet some of the representation targets of 40 percent at the entry level and 30 percent at higher levels as prescribed by the department's gender policy,"added she.

The minister called for speeding up the reform on the gender inequality in the armed forces and creating a good environment to attract more women to serve in the armed forces.

The SANDF consists of the army, navy and air force, with the active personnel of approximately 100,000 people.

Speaking at the SANDF Women's Day parade on Aug. 30,2011, the then-minister of Defense and Military Veterans Lindiwe Sisulu said that women should have a duty to liberate men from antique concepts of women in society and the development, believing that the protection and defense of the country's sovereignty is no longer a male only preserve.