On March 8, South African women celebrated International Woman’s Day. A day for women to recognise and reaffirm themselves on their journeys of attaining equity, strength, empowerment within all spheres and attaining all rights. This has also been supported by the bill of rights and policies implemented within the public and private sectors.
For some of us women, the fact that women have a right to vote, education, work and hold public office suffices. For others, it is about being as respected as a man and keeping the same status as a man within our families, social circles, workplace and communities.
The right to vote, be educated and work is fundamental in laying the foundation to attaining gender equality, but women need to be afforded the same respect as a man. The care a woman is given and a woman’s status in relation to men are crucial to sustaining gender equity within our society. Professional women have an opportunity to attain similar status to their male colleagues within the workforce, but achieving an equal level to men is a challenge outside of the workplace.
For women who are home-based as primary parents and homemakers, achieving equal status to their male colleagues is difficult. It is fundamentally about the dominant perceptions that we have of women that are often forced to engage in “work with no pay” in the home of a nuclear family. Is her role as the nurturer, parent and homemaker respected and appreciated?
In most South African homes, the breadwinner is revered in society, and women often bear the brunt of receiving little or no recognition for the work that is time-consuming, difficult and labour-intensive.
The above scenario is dominated by the perception that the traditional feminine roles have lesser value than those of the breadwinner. Sociologists such as Ann Oakley explain that feminine societal roles are not determined by biology but by social constructs and society’s dominant cultural attributes that shape how people act and think. This is the case for most organisations that are dominated by pre-existing traditional and cultural norms that still validate a patriarchal way of life.
The present global and local economic pressures and high living costs also contribute to the perception that there is little value in the traditional feminine role in the household. These pressures have influenced society to rationalise their greater respect for money than for elements of life to which one cannot attach a monetary value.
The continuation of these perceptions and the choice to not be forthcoming about articulating the value of the feminine traditional role contribute towards a society that still fails to see women as equals to men. At present almost half of South African women are economically inactive, according to Statistics South Africa.
The reasons are numerous, but central to understanding our society is the traditional patriarchal cultures dominating most of our population. Some women are forced to adopt the role of the primary parent and homemaker, while for others, it is a choice they made. However, the woman who is not financially independent still needs to be respected.
Many women who are employed are still plagued by a salary system that pays them less than male employees. Historically, fewer women were educated too, which has placed them in lesser paying jobs or career trajectories. Despite the fact that now more women are employed and are self-sufficient, some are still forced to multi-task on a daily basis. They are still maintaining the traditional feminine role alongside their careers.
Globally, the trend of stay-at-home dads has been increasing, but it is still mostly perceived as unusual and, in some instances, understood to be negative and abnormal.
Comparatively, from my personal observations during my lived experience in Germany during 2004 and 2006, many young fathers chose to become a primary caregivers and stay-at-home dads for a year or two. The motivation was primarily to assist their wives in establishing their careers. I easily recall during that time that this was not a norm for Indian South Africans, and nor would many Indian South African men consider this life change.
Acts like these can contribute towards women being respected equally as men within our society. Younger generations need to see and realise that men and women can easily exchange roles and responsibilities in any circumstance. The notion that only men can provide financially well needs to be challenged, but women assuming the breadwinning role need also needs to be supported by the national legislature, which will allow women to earn as much as men do. This must be implemented in policy and practice within all spheres of our economy.
Patriarchal ideologies will continue to dominate norms in society. Should we allow younger generations to respect the male more than the female simply because “he” is the breadwinner? It is our responsibility to highlight the value of women in society despite the role and responsibilities that they have undertaken. This also means that we should be less accepting of our traditional cultural perceptions concerning gender by enforcing approaches that are less gender-based.
Within the socio-cultural context of South Africa, we need to understand that respecting woman is an essential step to sustaining gender equity in the long term. For women to attain the same status as a man in society, they need to be equally respected. It is at that point, then, that we can celebrate our national and international woman’s day.
Bhoola has a PhD and two Master’s degrees in the social sciences. She is a lecturer, researcher and a freelance writer. Bhoola has been the recipient of awards and academic scholarships throughout her career. Visit www.sheetalbhoola.com