OPINION: It is important for men and women to acknowledge that gender inequality is not part of the God’s divine plan but it is a consequence of patriarchy which has entrenched beliefs about the inferior status of women and superior status of men for centuries, writes Dr Nozi Mjoli.
The recent appointment of Inkosikazi Nosandile Mhlauli as the first woman to chair the National House of Traditional and Khoisan Leaders marks a major step in the gender transformation of the historically male-dominated institution of traditional leadership. It represents a major achievement in the recognition of women as legitimate leaders of society. Inkosikazi Mhlauli has a proven track record as a leader of the Eastern Cape Provincial House of Leaders for 15 years, followed by four years as the deputy chairperson of the National House of Traditional and Khoisan Leaders. She has also served as an acting national chairperson after the passing of national chairperson Inkosi Sipho Mahlangu in July 2021.
It is evident that she is a very experienced leader who has earned the respect of her peers in the National and Provincial House of Traditional Leaders.
It is important for young women who aspire to be leaders of society to appreciate the importance of dedicating many years of their careers in building a strong track record as influential leaders who are respected by their peers. Women in top leadership positions must play a leading role in encouraging and mentoring other women to help them to advance to leadership positions.
As we celebrate this milestone in gender transformation of the National House of Traditional and Khoisan Leaders, it is important to appreciate that this is only the beginning of a long process of breaking down the pillars of patriarchy that have led to the exclusion of women from top leadership positions for centuries.
Gender transformation must start at the family structure, religious and cultural institutions because these institutions continue to play a major role in entrenching gender inequality in society.
Social programming plays a major role in keeping the pillars of patriarchy in place by ensuring that beliefs about the leadership roles of men and subordinate roles of women are deeply entrenched in the minds of children from an early age. These beliefs are accepted as the norm in most communities and women who dare challenge the status quo are ostracised by society.
Women have passively embraced the pillars of patriarchy because they are socialised to conform and accept their inferior status as the natural social order.
Although gender equality has been enshrined as a right in the Constitution of South Africa since 1996, progress towards the achievement of gender equality continues to be very slow.
The reality is that the majority of women remain oppressed by patriarchy. This manifests as low wages for economic sectors that are dominated by women such as the domestic sector, agricultural sector and social services.
South Africa is experiencing a high incidence of sexual exploitation of women and gender-based violence because many women depend on men for financial support. This shows that tougher laws against gender-based violence are not enough to protect women as long as they believe they are inferior to men.
It is becoming clear that changing external factors that hinder the achievement of gender equality is not adequate because of the negative impact of social programming that has entrenched beliefs about the inferior status of girls to prepare them for their subordinate roles, while boys are programmed to be confident leaders of society.
The social programming of women for subordinate roles contributes to their low self-confidence coupled with low self-esteem. Consequently very few women have confidence to apply for top leadership positions in the public and private sector organisations. Gender-balanced leadership in society will be achieved when women have confidence in their ability to be great leaders.
Women will remain victims of gender discrimination if they continue to expect men to give them freedom. The time has come for women to take charge and claim their power to reach their full potential as great leaders of society.
A new approach is needed to reprogramme young women with empowering beliefs about their ability to be confident leaders by eliminating all the limiting beliefs that have been entrenched by social programming to prepare them for subordinate roles. Beliefs are not absolute truth; they are based on subjective judgements that people make based on their life experiences.
There is an urgent need to entrench empowering beliefs in the minds of young women and girls that they have potential to become great leaders if they believe in themselves.
It is important for men and women to acknowledge that gender inequality is not part of the God’s divine plan but it is a consequence of patriarchy which has entrenched beliefs about the inferior status of women and superior status of men for centuries.
Since these beliefs are not part of the genetic material, they can be changed and replaced with empowering beliefs using positive affirmations to reprogramme the subconscious mind.
Women have power to become masters of their destiny provided they believe in themselves.
* Dr Nozi Mjoli is a gender activist. She writes in her personal capacity.
** The views expressed here are not necessarily those of IOL and Independent Media.
Insider