Re-Envisioning the Fight Against Patriarchy: The Case of South African Women

Abstract

This paper invokes the almost dormant voices of both men and women; that should speak out against patriarchy especially in the face of the re-awakening scourge of violent crime, rape and domestic violence in South Africa. The paper is motivated by the present statistics that are unfathomably high regarding this scourge. While the struggle against racial Capitalism transcended the binary of race and class, it did not (fully) embrace an anti-patriarchal struggle that was waged by progressive thinkers internationally. Hence we are faced with a situation in which women still play second fiddle in the day to day business of the country(irrespective of the power they wield)today. Some of the radical Feminists and Marxist thinkers in the country also made a political blunder by relying on the fact that once the contradictions (between labour and capital) are ameliorated, then we will have an egalitarian, anti-sexist society. This political blunder gave way to the situation in which patriarchy had ingrained itself into the psyche of the society. The paper therefore argues for a stronger Feminist Movement that will offset women’s oppression in patriarchal gender relations, and also posits a more radical transformation of the society rather than relying on the Neo-liberal political agenda of the ruling class.

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2014.v5n27p896