Recently, there has been something of a revolt against the term mbokodo, which means “rock”. On August 9 1956, it was the word more than 20,000 women chose to describe themselves and their resolve for change in South Africa. Much like a rock, they proved to be immovable, making a crucial contribution towards ending the pass laws and contributing to the demise of apartheid.
That there are strong links between politics, policy and economics goes without saying, and it is actions such as those undertaken by the 1956 female protesters that have granted current South African women access to some measure of economic freedom in a country tainted by a history of separation and exclusion. They also laid the foundations for a society that now permits women to pursue a much “softer life”.
Nothing proves the proliferation of “cushy” lifestyles more than the growth of the health and beauty industry in South Africa, in line with global trends. The growing number of spas (said to be generating more than R12bn annually in revenue), nail bars, hair salons, beauty clinics, and a wide array of other female-specific personal services has created business opportunities and jobs for women in both the formal and informal sectors.
These are industries run largely by and for women. While this may not sound particularly important in the grand scheme of things, women have become notable and growing contributors to the personal services sector — which now amounts to 16% of GDP.
It is fortunate women’s needs can be provided by other women, because this means that, while this spending is done, it is simultaneously contributing to women’s collective economic upliftment.
There is power in collective action, and in the contemporary world 1,000 new ways to make our voices heard
Ironically, the personal services industry component of GDP also includes value-added benefits such as education, health and domestic work. These are also services dominated by female employees that are deeply intertwined with the country’s socioeconomic challenges, as is especially apparent in our public facilities.
South Africa’s problems weigh more heavily on women, even when they are dealing with the heavy burden of trying to solve them. Rejecting the notion of being unbreakable mbokodos amounts to women giving themselves permission to stop soldiering on through the heaviness of it all. “Delete mbokodo” is a loud protest for women to take a break, go soft, get their nails done, lose a wrinkle, or ease the tension arising from the “house, husband, two kids and a cat” combo.
While there is much work to be done to improve gender parity in leadership positions, earnings and historically male-dominated industries, today 45% of those employed in the country are women, according to StatsSA, and the extent of their economic inclusion is much greater than this if we look a little deeper.
Most notably, women are now more active in the residential property market than men. According to data from Lightstone Property, single women have purchased more homes than couples and single men over the past five years, and total ownership and co-ownership of property by women now amounts to 60% of the residential market.
That said, there are two important economic implications stemming from this change. The first is that, with a large number of homes financed via mortgages, this change in the property market could make women more sensitive to monetary policy changes than ever. The recent interest rate hike has had a crucial impact on instalments for new homeowners, most of whom are women.
Second, women’s greater property ownership means they will bear the burden of rising rates and taxes, not to mention administered prices such as electricity and water tariffs. It is a good thing the property market is gradually transforming and showing a closer resemblance to the nation’s overall demographics. As this happens, it may be important for policymakers to widen the socioeconomic considerations that guide their decisions to steer long-term sustainability. That may not happen organically, and women may need to raise their voices to ensure it does.
There is power in collective action, and in the contemporary world 1,000 new ways to make our voices heard. Over the decades, colourful cosmetics have been used as a strong symbol of solidarity in protests by women, one of the most recent being Saudi Arabia’s 2017 #RedLipstickRevolution.
It is often said women make up the larger proportion of the country’s adult population yet remain woefully underrepresented in politics and corporate leadership, despite being the most affected by them. The year 1956 is a reminder of the strength of female agency, regardless of positions held in the corporate sector or politics. Women don’t have to be unbreakable like an mbokodo to be strong — or wait to get to the top to be influential.
• Makhoba is an economist and the lead specialist in research and analytics at Liberty, the insurance and asset management arm of Standard Bank
