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Women's month: Ways to support women everywhere.

Just because National Women's Day has passed, it doesn't mean we should stop celebrating and uplifting our women. It's still women's month after all. The month of August in South Africa commemorates the event on 9 August 1956,where South African women marched to the Union Buildings in protest against the amendments to the Pass Laws. This month also honors the great roles women have played in shaping society, as it also highlights the issues that women continue to face worldwide such as discrimination, gender-based violence, less access to education and economic opportunities.  Below are some different ways to help empower and support women all over the world: 1. PRIORITISE WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP We live in a world where many leadership opportunities are withheld from women, and usually awarded to men. Even with the progress our society has made with equality, women still remain underrepresented and unrecognized in business leadership positions. The issue of gender parit

Adopting new habits during the lockdown.

Apart from being stuck at home, and not going about your regular routine. What are you doing to keep yourself busy during the lockdown? Here are some ideas to help you maintain your sanity in this time of turbulence. 1. Exercise Staying active during the lockdown might help improve, both your physical and mental health. Being stuck at home with nothing to look forward to, can lead to stress and anxiety. Exercising helps calm your brain, boosts your energy, and improves your mood. 2. Read This is a good time to familiarise yourself with books. Reading helps improve your imagination, vocabulary and knowledge. Books have a way of making us feel comfortable and at peace. They give us an opportunity to rethink and reflect the content we read, while giving your brain a workout. 3. Eat healthy Following a well-balanced diet can help you, maintain a strong and healthy body. This is a great way to achieve weight loss, which reduces the risk of getting chronic diseases such as heart dis

Is slacktivism a valid type of activism?

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Believe it or not we are all slacktivists, or atleast have been maybe once or twice in our lives. A slacktivist is a person who supports a social or political cause , by means such as online petitions or social media- which is also characterised as involving very little commitment or effort. For instance, sharing and promoting content about certain issues on different social media platforms; liking and following social media pages that support a certain cause; joining social media groups and signing online petitions. I would not say slacktivism is wrong or unacceptable, as it is one of the quickest and easiest ways to get people talking and focused on a certain cause. But does it really lead to actual change? Do you believe that joining a feminism group on Facebook is contributing significantly, and will result in great change? Being an activist is all about supporting a cause with the aim of creating a social change. It is mostly about being involved physically, and risking your l

If society can promote patriarchy, why can't it do the same about matriarchy?

What is matriarchy? you may ask. Well I for one can tell you that I also had no idea that the term 'matriarchy' even exists. Matriarchy can be defined as a society or community, where females hold the positions of power and leadership. It is where women have the absolute authority. Society has been so wrapped up in the term 'patriarchy'  that it let people forget that the term 'matriarchy' also exists. If people are for the patriarchal system, what makes it so hard for society to accept living in a world where women are dominant. Why is patriarchy highly favoured than matriarchy? I believe that this goes back to the different cultural norms that teach men and women, at a very young age how they are expected to live their lives. Since the patriarchal  system is about males holding the majority power, and women being dependent on men- society including the media has decided to encourage a system that sees women as the weaker sex, reason being that many cultura

Gender based violence against men, an ongoing yet unspoken issue.

When we hear the term 'gender based' violence, our minds instantly think of women. Why is that? Society has allowed people to believe that gender based violence only affects women and not men. Men are continuously seen as perpetrators, reason being that most gender based violence victims are women. It is no lie that one in three women, face violence or abuse in their everyday lives sometimes  by people they know. For instance a colleague, an acquaintance or even a family member. Domestic violence, sexual violence, intimate partner violence or any other abuse that aims to gain control over women is a form of gender based violence. But what about men? Why have we chosen to become ignorant about the fact that, both men and women can be perpetrators of gender-based violence? Why have we accepted that it is rare and unlikely for men to experience gender based violence?. There are many cases where men have suffered and experienced violence, but their stories tend to gain less po