Instead of perpetuating popular Women’s Month celebrations that reinforce patriarchal norms, universities should lead the way in critical reflection and action.
As Women’s Month unfolds in South Africa, I find myself again reflecting on the contradictions within its celebrations. This year, having been out of the country on research sabbatical, I’ve been spared the usual round of invitations to speak at various events, but my inbox is still flooded with communications about Women’s Month activities across the country.
While I can dismiss the commercialised gestures from corporates, and the various pious efforts in the religious sector, it’s particularly disturbing when universities – institutions meant to nurture critical thought – reduce Women’s Month to what I have called “pink goody bag” events. This reveals the pervasive influence of patriarchy, manifested in what I call pampering, pedestal and palatable forms.
Pampering patriarchy
Every August, “pampering patriarchy” re-emerges, with women offered spa treatments and beauty makeovers in honour of Women’s Day. At the risk of being a “feminist killjoy”, as Sara Ahmed might put it, I argue that these gestures obscure a critical reality: women tend to need these breaks more, because they are subjected to patriarchal expectations that force them to work twice as hard as men for half the recognition and often a fraction of the salary.
One striking example was an advertisement for a university’s annual Women’s Day pamper event, where participants paid for lunch and treatments to support bursaries for “female” students. This framing perpetuates the narrative that women need pampering, ignoring the underlying inequities that make such pampering necessary in the first place.
As someone with a working-class background where “pamper days” were a luxury, I understand the value of these moments of care. They offer respite for women who often bear heavier professional and personal workloads.
Tricia Hersey, in her book, Rest is Resistance, emphasises the revolutionary power of rest, particularly for marginalised communities. She argues that in contexts that value productivity over people, rest becomes an act of resistance – a radical declaration that our worth is not defined by our labour. Her insights remind us that self-care is not just beneficial but necessary, especially for those historically denied this basic right.
However, these gestures must be accompanied by efforts to dismantle the ongoing patriarchy that continues to marginalise women. Universities, arguably full of critical intellectuals, have a responsibility to resist these cosmetic (pun intended) trends and critically engage with how power manifests in gendered relationships.
Some institutions, like Rhodes University, are encouraging more scholarly responses, even framing one initiative as “moving beyond spa days”, but much remains to be done especially in universities that have become increasingly corporatised and focused on “branding”.
Pedestal patriarchy
Another form of patriarchy flourishing during Women’s Month is “pedestal patriarchy”. Unlike traditional patriarchy, which confines women (preferably barefoot and pregnant) to the kitchen, pedestal patriarchy elevates them for managing the kitchen, pregnancy, motherhood and their careers – all while balancing in high heels instead of being barefoot.
This was evident in a Women’s Month feature at a university where women were praised for balancing motherhood and academic careers.
Moreover, pedestal patriarchy is inherently heteronormative. It presumes that all women are in heterosexual relationships and all women want to be married to men (or to be married at all!) or to have children, thereby excluding and marginalising those who do not conform to these norms.
This narrow view reinforces the idea that a woman’s worth is tied to her ability to bear and raise children, reinforcing traditional roles (often underpinned by conservative interpretations of religious and cultural expectations).
Additionally, by praising women for successfully managing both parenting and their careers, pedestal patriarchy fails to question the very systems that make this balancing act so arduous. Men are rarely, if ever, praised for managing parenting and academic careers simultaneously, because parenting roles are not seen as their primary responsibility.
This superficial celebration of women’s ability to “do it all” leaves the unequal division of labour unchallenged, and the burden of parenting and care continues to fall disproportionately on women.
Universities should challenge these narratives, not perpetuate them through Women’s Day platitudes.
Palatable patriarchy
Palatable patriarchy is perhaps the most insidious form of patriarchy because it often cloaks itself in reverence, masking its underlying control through language that appears respectful. A recent personal example illustrates the point.
My 20-year-old son – a university student who is exceptionally compassionate and critically aware – sent me a message to wish me a happy Women’s Day. I responded by expressing my appreciation but also reminded him that Women’s Day is not just about exchanging greetings; it is a day with profound historical significance. His reply moved me deeply:
“I understand that it’s for the marches in 1956,” he said, “but it is also to celebrate the adversity that you had to overcome in your life, and I am truly proud of that.”
His words brought tears to my eyes, and I was touched by his recognition of my journey. Yet, I felt compelled to deepen his understanding: my “overcoming of adversity” was not a natural response to life’s inevitable hardships – it was the deliberate outcome of a patriarchal system designed to constrain and control women and girls.
Read more: Women want and deserve more than empty gestures and platitudes this Women’s Day
Women’s Day, therefore, should not be about celebrating women for merely surviving within such a system, but about acknowledging and continuing the struggle to dismantle it. To his credit, he grasped this distinction.
My son had been partially influenced by the popular “happy Women’s Day” hype, but universities, in particular, should be rejecting this kind of rhetoric. Instead of encouraging students and staff to “treat women special”, they should recognise women’s contributions to academia on their own merits without tying them to their roles as mothers or caregivers.
In summary, no matter how well-packaged these Women’s Month events are, a simple unravelling of the pink bow reveals the deep-seated patriarchy within. It is important for higher education institutions to critically engage with how they observe Women’s Month. Instead of perpetuating popular celebrations that reinforce patriarchal norms, universities should lead the way in critical reflection and action.
Women’s Month should be less about pampering, placing women on pedestals, or confining them to palatable roles. It should be about reclaiming Womandla – a combination of the word woman with the rallying cry for power, “Amandla”.
#Womandla #WomenResist #PowerNotPampering #ReclaimWomensMonth. DM