On Tuesday, South Africans can celebrate National Women’s Day for the 11th time, in remembrance of the 20 000 women of all races who marched on August 9 1956 to the Union Buildings, to protest the extension of pass laws for African women. Today, South Africa can celebrate having an African woman as deputy president, and women make up 49% of the national legislature.
The Mail & Guardian Online asked some South Africans about their way of celebrating National Women’s Day, their contributions to gender equality and where they see women’s rights in South Africa in the next 10 years.
Radio presenter Michelle Constant finds National Women’s Day important because it ”reminds women from where they have come in the last 11 years and where they can still go. It reminds women how empowered they can still become.
”I would like to see two major changes in the next 10 years. First of all, [an end to] the abuse of women, and second of all, the cheap prejudice against women must go.
”I find it disturbing when a male radio DJ is dissing and mocking women,” says Constant, who is starting the day with a group of women, all friends and acquaintances, for a Women’s Day breakfast before working the rest of the day.
The executive producer of television edudrama Soul City, Shereen Usdin, told the M&G Online that National Women’s Day for her is more about history than the yearly national holiday.
”I don’t think a National Women’s Day is particularly valuable. It is nice to focus on women’s empowerment and achievements, but to me it symbolises our history.
”This particular Women’s Day I am spending as a holiday with my two nephews and my daughter. I wish a better world for them and their generation, more gender sensitive.
”Soul City is there to bring about social change. My work is focused around gender equality. I helped establish a toll-free helpline to stop women abuse. As one of the founders, this is something I am particularly proud of.”
In the long run, Usdin thinks poverty and the Aids epidemic must be reduced.
”We got good stuff down on paper,” she says. ”But now the paper promises should be realised. Especially for women, because they are the bearers of the brunt of both of the epidemics. The heavy burden that these women carry through life experience must be reduced.”
It is nice to celebrate the achievements of women every year, but it would also be quite nice if there were a yearly men’s day, boys’ day and girls’ day, says gossip columnist Gwen Gill.
”I am going to a fund-raising lunch tomorrow [Tuesday] in Doornfontein. It is actually work, because it is something I want to write about in my column. But it won’t be unpleasant. And I’ll probably see my children or maybe speak to them on the phone.”
‘It is just a day off’
Pop singer David Kramer told the M&G Online he is not so sure of what National Women’s Day means.
”It appears to me it is just a day off. I actually question why it’s still there because I can’t see how it affects or progresses women. I haven’t got the day marked in my calendar as something special; for me, it’s just a normal day of work.”
Kramer hasn’t written a special song or done a concert especially for women.
”In my everyday behaviour, I try to put forward: live your life with respect to anyone else on an equal base.”
M&G editor Ferial Haffajee — the first woman editor of a major newspaper in South Africa — thinks it is mostly a fun day.
”But it is also important to measure how far women have come and how far we still have to go. We also have a lot to celebrate tomorrow, like the deputy president being a woman.”
Haffajee would like to see more women in Parliament and see them use their power more forcefully.
”They can pass laws and keep society on its toes about women,” she says.
”I heard a lovely story on the radio last night that gives an answer to how I think I contributed to gender equality.
”The story is about an elephant seeing an ant lying down on its back with its feet up in the air. The elephant asks the ant what he is doing, and the ant says he is holding up the sky.
”’But you are too small to hold up the whole sky,’ laughed the elephant. And the ant goes: ‘I am just doing my bit.’
”So, I try to advance women in the newsroom and let women state their opinion, and this hopefully adds up to make South African gender equality happen.”