Women’s long battle against inequality
GENDER-BASED inequality has been a remarkably widespread aspect of society for centuries.
In the modern world, the conversation of gender inequality exists mostly within the realm of the workplace, and South Africa is no exception.
In pretty much every industry today, men’s salaries dominate women’s. The current gender pay gap percentage between men and women in SA is a shocking 29% – with the average monthly income of men at R16261 and women at R11473.
The government puts the percentage of female chief executives at 3.6%, females occupying chairperson positions at 5.5%, and females occupying executive management positions at only 21.4%.
More problematic are private sector businesses, whose policies regarding workplace discrimination and wage equality are not seriously enforced.
The lack of equal opportunity for women undeniably contributes to a lack of economic and social self-sufficiency. The patriarchal structures imposed trickle down to social power dynamics, leading to a struggle for personal security.
Women face an alarming threat of sexual violence – roughly 40% of SA women will be raped in their lifetimes.
These statistics are projected to be even more extreme because fear of violence or social retaliation from abusers prevents victims from reporting and/or discussing assaults.
The Gender and Health Research Unit in 2017 found that 97.8% of rape victims were black or Coloured, and 55.1% of victims know their rapists.
Of reported rape cases, 60.2% of female victims were unemployed, 10.6% were students and blue-collar workers made up 8.1%. On average, male perpetrators constituted 98.8%.
A common belief is that due to biological differences, gender inequality has existed since the genesis of mankind – dividing men and women between activities like hunting and childcare respectively.
Interestingly, however, the rise of gender inequality didn’t emerge until the agricultural revolution – the proliferation of farming and animal domestication. Early hunter-gatherer communities showed little evidence of gender inequality, begging the question: “What can historical gender norms teach us about combating gender inequality and violence today?”
The history of gender equality in early hunter-gatherer societies demonstrates the importance of creating economic and social independence for women.
Labour Law Management Consulting chief executive Ivan Israelstam believes the most important issue regarding improving gender equality is a focus on “the enforcement of the requirements of the Employment Equity Act, regulations and codes”.
In the modern world, many of the opportunities crucial for empowerment will take the form of governmental roles, leadership positions, and education opportunities in trades stereotyped to men, such as building, plumbing, engineering etc.
Moreover, the idea of esteem bridges the gap between equality and choice. We must permit the pursuance of choice in all sectors of women’s lives, including but not limited to their bodies, careers, sexuality, religion, political opinions, clothing, marital status and family status.