Women's Rights Done Right
By Sihle Gcilitshana, 2022
We’ve all come across at least a dozen headlines that start with the phrase “Women in …”. By now, we’re all aware of the disproportionate representation of not only women but other marginalised and previously disadvantaged communities in all spheres of life. In a world where I’ve often found myself unconsciously using my race, sexual orientation, and gender identity as ways to define myself, it occurred to me that this is neither an expectation nor unconscious action by men.
The 8th of March annually marks International Women’s Day and as an activist, supporter, and advocate for women, I consider women’s rights as recognition and celebration of all people who identify as women without the expectation and use of qualifiers. You may think it empowering to see the use of titles such as ‘Black Woman’, ‘Queer Woman’, and ‘Career Woman’. It is not. The extension of this practice has seen the formation of phrases such as ‘Women in Leadership’, ‘Women in Tech’, ‘Women in Sport’, ‘Women in Politics’, and ‘Women Entrepreneurs’.
We understand the need to highlight underrepresented bodies and communities but using qualifiers perpetuates the idea that the existence of women, first, is an anomaly and secondly that their presence in certain spaces continues to be uncommon. In 2019, the United Nations (UN) published its Population Prospects Report which states that out of 201 countries and regions whose population data was available, 125 of those region’s populations had more women than men (Statistics Times, 2021). South Africa is among those countries with a higher population of women than men (StatsSA, 2019) and yet the narrative around women's position scarcity is in overabundance. When considering the Trans and Gender-nonconforming people who are often excluded and denied the right to be considered in population censuses under their preferred gender identity, these statistics may be massively underrepresenting the population distribution.
Source: Statistics Times. 2019. Available here (accessed: 10/03/2022).
I am not suggesting that we do away with highlighting the achievements and successes of women and underrepresented communities in their various fields. I understand the purpose of making these people known to us. It is especially important to bring our attention to the pioneers in these fields so others may see themselves working and occupying them too. What I am problematising is the use of qualifiers in relation to highlighting and celebrating these change-makers. When articles are written about men being first in their fields they read ‘First Billionaire’, ‘Best Athlete’, ‘Tech Giant’, or ‘Meet the Entrepreneur Changing the Landscape’.
Growing up, I lived in a household with 6 women, I attended an all-girls high school and lived in a women’s residence at university. I currently work in an organisation in which women make up 3/4 of the staff body and we are led by a woman. I am dating and living with a woman who holds a managerial position in her profession and she is also the only woman in her 5-a-side soccer team. My beauty therapists are all women who own and run their businesses; my favourite authors, artists, and role models are all women. My post-graduate supervisor is a woman, and my best friends are women.
I want to live in a world in which I am seen as a leader, a scholar, an activist, and a professional and not as a woman leader, woman scholar, and woman professional. Women are the bedrock of our society. South Africa honours women on the 9th of August for their stand against pass-laws during Apartheid and I want to challenge you to honour women around the world daily by recognising who they are and not what they do in relation to their feminine identity. Women’s rights are at the centre of Human rights because if we are seen as individuals with basic rights and freedoms from the time we are born, we would be paid more, we would be considered for management roles, and we would not fear for our lives and safety. But most of all, our work would be fairly compensated and our labour viewed as equally contributing to the economy.
The next time I come across a headline highlighting women and other persons belonging to historically marginalised communities, I will cheer loudly. I will celebrate the win as my own because I feel represented but also because as a rural-born, black queer woman, I know what it means to achieve something great. I will cheer not because of the historical marginalisation. I will cheer because of the personal story attached to that win. I hope you remember to put the person first and not to use the qualifier as the reason behind why you celebrate and cheer women on.
About Author
Sihle Gcilitshana is Programme Co-ordinator at the Civic Tech Innovation Network based at the Wits School of Governance, a social justice activist, researcher, and social entrepreneur. She holds a Bachelor of Social Science degree in Economics and International Relations & Bachelor of Honours in Justice and Transformation from the University of Cape Town. Sihle recently graduated top of her class as a Fix Scholarship Fellow while completing the Social Entrepreneurship Programme at the Gordon Institute of Business Science. Previously, Sihle was the Programme Co-ordinator for the Black Economic Empowerment research project at the Southern Centre for Inequality Studies. Her professional background is also in the South African civil society sector which allowed her to sit on various panels, present in Parliament, co-author opinion pieces, and carry out numerous media interviews. Her interests include building an active and informed citizenry and using policy and budget advocacy to effect change.
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