ESSET certainly support and agree with the original
intent of Women’s Month that seeks to honour women from all walks of life in
our country. Off course tribute goes to the
famous Women's march
against the pass laws of 9th August 1956 which challenged the
Apartheid era policies and altered how women are perceived in society today.
This famous march organized by the Federation of
South African Women challenged the idea that 'a woman's place is in
the kitchen’. We should always be inspired by the valiant feats of women of
1956 because they rose to fight for their emancipation though they were in the
margins of society and naturally considered feeble.
In order to appreciate and better advance the
contribution of women, our society needs to understand that women are fearfully
and wonderfully made in God’s image. Thus we should utilise Women’s
Month as a time to thank women for being the gifts God has placed on the earth
and the many hats they wear; from raising children, helping with household
chores, providing for their families etc. The story of the creation of Adam and Eve is
the first place where we would trace the worth of women. Genesis 1: 27-28 tells us that
when God created human beings, he made them to be like himself. He created them
male and female. In fact before God created human beings, as He was
creating animals and objects He pronounced different aspects of it as
"good." The first "not good" ensued on the sixth day after
God had created Adam and then said it
was "not good for the man to be alone" (Genesis
2:18). After this, God caused Adam to fall into deep sleep, then He took a rib
from him and created Eve (Genesis 2:21). The exclamation: “At last! This one is
bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh! She will be called ‘woman,’ because
she was taken from ‘man.” made by Adam when he first saw Eve is telling how
very good God had made her (Genesis 2: 23).
However, it is interesting that though God has
created women in His image the society that we leave in today, still look down
on women. Some people seem to have traditionally
justified giving women a subservient and oppressive role in society based on
the fact that God made Eve from Adam's rib. They remain ignorant that Eve was
taken from Adam's rib because she was his equal and God intended for her to
stand beside him, not below him, not behind him and not above him. In
South Africa, despite efforts to dedicate the month of August to celebrate and
honour women as well as putting in place legislations
and policies to recognise and protect them, many of them are still prejudiced
by some men and the system of the day. Therefore, a pertinent question we need to
ask ourselves as we commemorate Women’s Month is whether there has been any
significant shifts made since we declared 9th August a public holiday and
dedicated the whole month to show respect to women. Has the many encouraging
speeches made during Women’s Month by government leaders and glamorous events
often organised to celebrate women ever helped to better their lives?
Women traders, the community partners
that ESSET works with have on numerous occasions complained about how some men
hides behind religion and culture to abuse them. They told us how spiritual healers often accuse them for practising
witchcraft when they are in contact with them during their menstrual periods.
Sometimes they could tell them that they are possessed by an evil spirit whilst
not knowing that it’s because they are only on their periods. Women traders
also complained of traditionalist male customers who refuse to buy food that is
cooked and served by a woman trader who is on her menstrual period. These men
argue that women traders must stay at home when
having their periods. Meanwhile, the recent findings of the
Participatory Research conducted amongst the informal and cross border traders
within the Southern African Development Community shows that there are also
unequal gender power relations between the men and women traders. Men traders
exclude women traders from organizational discussions and decision-making
processes. On the other hand, women traders also silence each other’s voices
and contribute to their own subordination.
It is a
sad reality that for many years’ women were socially treated as an inferior
gender and often put under the guidance of either their husbands or fathers.
For instance, the Customary law gave black women the status of minors and
excluded them from rights regarding children and property whilst the common law
deprived white women of guardianship and various economic rights. It was only
after the introduction of the Bill of
Rights that women were considered equal citizens as men. However,
the fact that women are recognized did not mean that they are instantaneous
saved from the shame of working in lowly paid jobs. According to the survey by
Women24, South African women earn 65% less than
their male counterparts, sometimes even when they are employed to do
the same jobs. This put more burdens on women, especially single parents who
have to make ends meet with less money. The fact that
women tend to live longer than men and often with less income in retirement
make their economic distresses even agonizing.
ESSET is of the view that Women’s Month is also an
opportune time to reflect on the progress made to advance the struggle of women.
A time to challenge stereotypes that a woman’s role is only limited to the
kitchen, child rearing or being a helper to her husband? Interestingly, the
Bible is not limiting of the roles women can play, instead it affirms women in
many positions, including business. In Acts 16:13-15, we are told of Lydia from the city of Thyatira (Asia
Minor) who was a prudent dealer of purple cloth. Her city was also known for
its commerce and abundant crops. Purple cloth was expensive and valuable as a
sign of nobility or royalty so as a dealer of the cloth she would have probably
been a wealthy businesswoman herself. The famous Proverbs 31 woman story is an archetypal of
what would happen in our society if we help to support and advance women in
their many endeavours of life. The Proverbs 31 woman was a successful
businesswoman who not only was able to take care of her family, but also made
her husband to be respected within his community.
As we dialogue
and reflect on women issues, challenges and advancement during Women’s month we
should not be selectively. We must also cater for the needs and issues of women
who are put to the margins of our society either by birth or their deeds. We
should not feel ashamed to even talk about sensitive and moral issues such as
that of prostitution. It is common knowledge that there is marginalisation and
stigma of women prostitutes in our communities and many of them are often
deprived of basic rights and remain victims of hate crimes. The encounter
between Jesus and a Samaritan woman in John 4: 3-42 demonstrate that Jesus also
came for the outcasts. Jesus did
something that was a Jewish culturally forbidden at Jacob’s well: he spoke to a
woman in public. Jesus asked her for a drink of water. She was justifiably
shocked: a Jewish man was speaking to her, a Samaritan woman? He also should
not have wanted to share a vessel with her for drinking water since it would be
considered unclean.
As their conversation continued Jesus eventually
told her that she has had five husbands, and was now living with a man who was
not her husband. After Jesus told the woman about her life, she knew that he
was a prophet. It would be possible that the reason she was on the sixth men
was because men had married her, then found out that she couldn’t have children
and divorced her. The other possibility would be that her only other choice
after husband number five died or divorced her was prostitution. Therefore, it
could also be possible that this woman was an outcast and looked down by her
community hence she even can to the well alone. Jesus was probably sensitive to
her needs, to be restored of her dignity and reconciled with those who used to
laugh at her. After their conversation with Jesus she went and told her people
about Jesus and brought them to him, so they could see and hear for themselves.
This demonstrates the restoration and transformation that has taken place in
her life and her community.
Whilst
passing through sadness, trials and tribulations women have inner strength to
withstand pain. The story about Ruth in the first chapter of Ruth in the Bible
helps to capture the fortitude, sacrifice, integrity and loyalty of women
during trying times. Unlike her sister in law, Ruth, a gentile from the country
of Moab refused to return to her parent’s home and remarry after the death of
her husband. She told her mother-in-law, Naomi: “Entreat me not to leave you,
or to turn back from following you; For wherever you go, I will go; And wherever
you lodge, I will lodge; Your people shall be my people, and your God, my God.
Where you die, I will die, and there will I be buried. The Lord do so to me,
and more also, if anything but death parts you and me” (Ruth 1:16–17). At the
end we see Ruth’s commitment and character paying off (Ruth 4:9-10);
she was married by Boaz, a rich farmer and one of Naomi’s relatives. With Ruth married to Boaz, Naomi knew that she would not
have to worry about lacking food any more. She is also named as one of four females
named in the genealogy of Jesus at the beginning of the Gospel of Matthew.
In
the 21st century women ought not to shy away from displaying their
God given talents and leadership capabilities. Like the women 1956 today’s women
must challenge the current status quo which asserts men as superior gender
whilst disregarding their capabilities and worth. Judges 4: 4 shows that women
also have leadership abilities. The chapter narrates how Deborah, a prophetess
and a female judge in Israel
devised a battle strategy that gave the out-numbered and badly-equipped
Israelite troops victory over their Canaanite enemy. As a prophetess and
a judge, Deborah was a tribal leader, who settles disputes and problems of her
people and in times of war acted as a rallying point to gather the tribes and
organize resistance. She had authority rather than power, and people respected
her for the qualities she had, rather than for her military might or physical
strength. Unlike her predecessors who were mostly male judges, Deborah stands
out from them for her wisdom, courage and faith in God.
We must not sit on our laurels as the country and
say that we have Women’s month to celebrate and dialogue around pertinent
issues affecting women. Certainly, more need to be done to address the gender prejudice
that still exists in our society today. We must do more to afford women equal
opportunities that are often given to men and ensure that the role of women in
society is enhanced. For God created a woman in His image not lesser than a man.
Liberia and Malawi have set good examples for
Africa and the entire world by having women Presidents and thus demonstrating
the abilities of women. The
recent election of Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, the first woman
to Chair the African Union is also a welcomed move in allowing women to
take greater responsibilities and to display their God given talents. Let us not seek to demean women in leadership in our
churches and ecumenical organisations but instead be
supportive and celebrate their ascendency to positions of power as the feat for
gender justice.
