In championing women’s equality, the theme for International Women’s Day (IWD) 2013, The gender agenda: Gaining momentum, has rallied towards the global cause of discourse and action around burning women issues. To commemorate this day, the US Embassy in Pretoria, in partnership with the Unisa Women’s Forum (UWF), hosted an outreach seminar in March, premised on Beyond all barriers: Empowering women leaders.
This platform at Unisa was one of thousands occurring around the world, not just on IWD but throughout March, to mark the economic, political and social achievements of women. In looking at gender issues, women empowerment and gender equality have become key objectives for the United Nations (UN) and other global organisations. One of the eight UN millennium development goals (MDGs) promotes gender equality, equity and empowerment. Also, UNESCO names gender equality as one of two global priorities.
Different slices make women who they are
A strong empowered panel of women from two great nations, Prof Puleng Lenka Bula (Director: VC Projects and Advisor to the Principal), Phyllis Ndlovu (Clinical Psychologist & Founder of Kisima Psychological Services), Anna Griffin (Vice-Principal: Global Brand & Campaigns, Juniper Networks, California), Prof Goonasagree Naidoo (Chair of Department: Public Administration, Unisa & UWF Deputy Chairperson) & Virginia Palmer (Chargé d’Affaires, US Embassy)
Speaking at the seminar, Phyllis Ndlovu, Clinical Psychologist and Founder of Kisima Psychological Services, said she believed there were different slices of what makes women who they are. “The things that shape what’s most important to me are not going to shape a woman who’s not dealing with the same things I’m dealing with,” she says. The issue of class, for example, draws that line in the sand. Ndlovu explains that a woman coming from Soweto who has to take three taxis to get to work has very different challenges to one who can just jump into her car and get to the office in minutes.
Another challenge, she highlights, is that even though women have far more opportunities to climb the corporate ladder now, their domestic responsibilities haven’t changed. “You will find that many women are moving up to leadership positions but when they get home they still have to make sure that there’s food on the table and the family are well taken care of. So, we see women stretching themselves very thin to be good at both those roles, which usually ends in burnout. You will find that the women burnout rate is very silent.”
Masters at holding on to guilt
Ndlovu agrees that women are masters at holding on to guilt, especially when they can’t get to everything and please everyone in their circle. This is why she urges women to take a minute and nurture themselves instead of others. “It’s important not to take on so much and kill ourselves, because ultimately we’re compromising what we’re really capable of doing,” she explains.
Engaging in a male-dominated environment also comes with extreme pressure. “When we get into the boardroom, we try so hard to be ‘man-like’ that we’re not bringing into this environment just who we are. Our femininity and our intuition adds incredible value. But we tend to just shut this out and be abrasive, sometimes more abrasive than men, to show that we’re strong and we can cope. Ladies, this is not who we are and it’s not working in our favour. Nobody is buying it, so let’s not sell it,” she says tongue-in-cheek, eliciting a laugh from the audience.
Drawing from personal experience, Ndlovu has observed that the older women get, the more comfortable they become with who they really are. This is the value of learning. “If you can get to this point a little bit quicker (those who are not already there yet), you will be amazed at how much it will change your life and your decisions,” she says.
Economic empowerment key to eradicating burning issues
A resources fair was available at the seminar where participants could learn more about women empowerment opportunities, scholarships, mentoring, professional clubs and literature as pictured.
Joining the conversation, Virginia Palmer, Chargé d’Affaires, US Embassy, expressed her pride on the Unisa-US Embassy relationship for many reasons, one of which is that the university has been, and still is, instrumental in developing women and African women. She admits there’s still a lot of work to be done around the world in women empowerment. Palmer believes that women’s economic empowerment is key to almost every burning issue – it’s key to safety and security, health (overcoming the HIV/AIDS pandemic), attaining prosperity, fighting corruption and encouraging environment conservation awareness, to name a few.
Many strides are being made and Palmer is excited by the economic empowerment potential from women in both the United States and South Africa. She believes growth and economic security will be determined by how well these two countries embrace progress and empower women business owners as well as leaders. “I am proud to say that around the world today, women entrepreneurs are increasingly visible. They are starting new businesses and growing their ventures into successful small businesses, and they are managing global enterprises.”
It’s clear that economic barriers are not just the only ones hindering women empowerment. Prof Puleng Lenka Bula, Director: VC Projects and Advisor to the Principal, says, “We now live in a context where violence has become the order of the day and this has also manifested in our children. These are limitations in our society that we as women need to be attentive to,” she says. She also urged women to understand the idea of empowerment for what it truly is. “Nobody will give you a platter of empowerment; you have to strive for it.”
