Gender equality? A raw deal

by Lunga Khuzwayo

“I shall give you a woman who will love you unconditionally, cook and clean for you, comfort you, fulfil your desires, do whatever you tell her to and never complains”, says God. Then Adam asks, “That would be great but how much will it cost me?” God replies, “An arm and a leg”. Adam thinks about, sighs and says, “What can I get for a rib?”

Ever since the uprising of feminism, men have struggled to keep a woman in their traditional role of submissiveness. For a rib’s worth, women no longer have to play the role of servitude. The fight for gender equality and deterioration of the patriarchal system has resulted in the empowerment of women. However, it is questioned to what extent of gender equality women are aiming for. As a feminist, there is a thin line between being anti-men or just pro-women.

I have considered myself as a feminist, opposing any idea of male dominance; nevertheless, I have found myself complaining about men’s courtesy: They do not step aside for a lady anymore, a constant bashing of shoulders along the corridors. My face almost met the ground by a group of guys who decided not to step aside for me, “NO MANNERS”, I screamed out...inside my head, that is. This new generation of men have taken gender equality to a literal level and one begins to question their degree of feminism.

Do we still want to be treated like a ladies or is being ‘one-of-the-guys’ good enough? Being independent is what us women pride ourselves in, and maybe it is time to let go of the lack of gentlemen in the world. We can’t have our cake and eat it.

Blogging The F-Bomb

Yolandé Botha

Feminism is not dead, it's cyber. With a Guardian estimate putting the number of feminist blogs at 240 000, it is clear that blogging has become essential to feminist communication. Although feminist blogs are able to illicit debate, can they lead to activism which can alter public policy?

“Blogging is my activism – it provides us with a platform to comment, analyse and influence,” says Jessica Valenti, founder of Feministing. The apathy of our generation has resulted in blogging and activism becoming intertwined. Blogging enables us to create awareness without having to take direct action.

The blogosphere also unites feminists resulting in more cohesive orgainised demonstrations. Blogs such as Charliegrrrl have been successful in campaigning for legislative change. Charliegrrrl readers were instrumental in lobbying MPs to have pornographic magazines moved to the top shelf of British newsstands showing that blogs are capable of influencing social change.

Many women around the globe do not have the luxury of web-access and this questions whether blogging is only serving the interest of privileged women. According to Georgia Aden, a post-graduate researcher who studies feminist blogs, women in less developed parts of the world are unable to voice their concerns through blogs. This is counterbalanced to an extent by the large number of feminist blogs such as Broadsheet which are dedicated to highlighting global women's issues.

Ultimately, the online feminism has empowered feminists to create a new anthology of literature which seeks to create the necessary awareness which galvanizes action. Cyber feminism has inspired a fresh generation of women to know that we can influence change – and we can do it in stilettos.