Are Women Really Free?

Women still face oppression and discrimination despite occupying positions of power

- Nthabi Nhlapo

SINCE the Women’s March of 1956 when thousands of women from all walks of life fought for the rights of women, a lot has changed. However, each time a woman is kidnapped, raped, killed, assaulted, racially insulted or denied a powerful position at her workplace, it brings up the question of whether perceived women’s rights are nothing more than a front to cover the oppression that women still endure. Statistics South Africa reports that about one in five women has experienced physical violence in this country, with those in the poorest households being mostly affected.

A LONG ROAD AHEAD

Kwezilomso Mbandazayo, Women’s Rights and Gender Justice Programme Manager at Oxfam, an organisation that addresses social issues, feels that the well-being of women must be prioritised.