IT’S been an incredibly difficult 17 months with the recent civil unrest compounding an already struggling economy, and economic challenges are directly translated into societal struggles as families battle to put food on plates.
For women around the world, this struggle is made even more difficult by the gender inequality that still pervades today. In South Africa, female workers earn approximately 30% less, on average, than their male counterparts, with men more likely to be employed than women.
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Despite these gross inequalities, women continue to succeed in business, sports, academics and politics, and by doing so, inspire the next generation of women to dream, and the next generation of men to support these dreams. Every measure of female success brings us that step closer to bridging the divide. Here’s a look at 5 women who’ve helped change mindsets and inspire future leaders.
1. Tatjana Schoenmaker
South Africa’s 24-year-old Tatjana caught the world’s attention last month when she not only earned a gold medal for 200m breastroke in the 2020 Olympics, but actually break the world record. The Johannesburg-born swimmer took gold at the Tokyo Olympic Games in a record time of 2 minutes, 18.95 seconds. She beat the previous 2 minutes 19.11 second record held by Denmark’s Rikke Moller Pedersen for eight years. Tatjana also won a silver medal in the 100m breaststroke.
2. Kamala Harris
It’s hard to believe that it was only half a year ago that Kamala Harris was sworn in as America’s Vice-President and, in doing so, she celebrated many ‘firsts’. She’s not only the first women to hold the second-highest office in the US, she’s also the first person of colour to do so. This momentous achievement is preceded by other firsts, including becoming the first South Asian American elected to the Senate, and the first black person elected Attorney General of California.
3. Naomi Osaka
The 23-year-old tennis star made a name for herself in 2018 when she beat the iconic Serena Williams in the US Open women’s singles final. The four-time Grand Slam champion became the highest-paid female athlete in history in 2020, earning US$37.4 million in 12 months. She went on to win the Australian Open this year and brought the importance of mental health to light when she withdrew from the French Open later in the year. She’s long used her platform to advocate for human rights, wearing face masks emblazoned with the name of US victims of brutality at the 2020 US Open, amid the Black Lives Matter movement.
4. Pauli van Wyk
When it comes to those at the frontline of protecting democracy, journalists are it. And investigative journalists, tasked with uncovering the most dangerous of state and private secrets, are front and centre. In South Africa, Pauli van Wyk is one of the country’s most ruthless investigative journalists, seemingly unstoppable in her quest for the truth. Pauli started working at Media24 before being trained by the amaBhungane Centre for Investigative Journalism and joining the Mail & Guardian’s investigative team before becoming a member of Daily Maverick’s Scorpio. Pauli was behind the uncovering of the EFF’s alleged looting of billions from the VBS bank, servicing some of the country’s most impoverished individuals.
5. Kgothatso Montjane
South African Paralympic tennis player, Kgothatso Montjane, inspired the nation at the recent Wimbledon competition where she made history, becoming the first black South African to reach a final at Wimbledon. This was the first time the 35-year-old had played in a Grand Slam final, and made it to both the women’s doubles and singles finals. The Limpopo-born tennis player lost in the singles final to top seed and world number one, Diede de Groot from the Netherlands, but her achievement remains an inspiration for future sportswomen.
Spend this Women’s Day on Monday, 9 August by celebrating the incredible women in your life!
