On the 9th of August annually, National Women’s Day is celebrated in South Africa. This day commemorates the estimated 20 000 women of all race groups, who marched in 1956 to the Union Buildings in Pretoria to fight for equality. They protested against the Urban Areas Act of 1950, which restricted historically disadvantaged women. This historical march was led by Lillian Ngoyi, Helen Joseph, Rahima Moosa and Sophia Williams. Another well-known participant was Frances Baard. These brave and extraordinary women left 14 000 petitions on the doorstep of the then prime minister, Mr J.G. Strijdom. The women then stood in front of his office in complete silence for 30 minutes, after which they sang a protest song specifically composed for the occasion. A line from this song, translated as “you strike a woman, you strike a rock”, has come to represent South African women’s courage and strength.

National Women’s Day was first acknowledged and celebrated on the 9th of August 1995, and in 2006 a re-enactment of the protest march was staged to mark its 50th anniversary in which  many of the 1956 march veterans participated. This day recognises the significant issues women in our country still face such as domestic violence, sexual harassment in the workplace and unequal pay. Women’s Day can be spent voicing and honouring women’s rights by striving to make South Africa more inclusive for women and fighting for equal rights for all.

In the Department of Human Resource Management, an event was hosted to celebrate Women’s Day in honour of the women colleagues in the department. This was done for the remarkable women in the department to acknowledge their hard work and impact they have on their students, fellow colleagues, and society. During the event, the qualities of women were discussed from traditional views that were held about women to the more inclusive, contemporary view of women today. Some traditional, stereotypical qualities (e.g. caring, empathy) were seen to be still part of women, but needed some reconstruction of meaning.

From the discussion, we believed women of today may be seen as: 

• Caretakers, in the sense that they create safer workplaces where everyone is treated with respect
• Compassionate and empathetic by working out fruitful compromises in high-stake environments and truly understanding the perspectives of parties involved.
• Discerning, as they possess and demonstrate good judgement and taste
• Inclusive and approachable in how they value and care about people from various backgrounds, and strive towards making the people they interact with feel comfortable and appreciated 
• Inspiring, as they strive to empower others to be the best version of themselves and stay positive during challenging times
• Inventive by producing original ideas and viewing life from new perspectives
• Persistent, in that they follow through with their decisions and complete what they have started to the best of their ability
• Resourceful, as they make use of what they have available in an enthusiastic way to solve problems effectively
• Tenacious, because they do not give up easily, and are determined to achieve their goals

These are only a few of many qualities that may be associated with women today. Apart from this, the women colleagues participated in some activities facilitated by the department assistants. Such as Women’s Day Bingo, which allowed for colleagues, both men and women, to get to know one another outside a professional environment, and “Name the Dame’, where the colleagues had to guess the historical and influential women that were described. At the end of the day, all colleagues celebrated together and honoured the true defintion of Women’s Day

In conclusion, a quote to celebrate Women’s Day: Here is to strong women. May we be them. May we know them. May we raise them.