The women's march 50 years later... challenges for young women

This year, South Africa celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Women's March, which was the commencement of a strong, female force that helped setting the agenda for our country's racial liberation. Yet, while liberation is to be celebrated, it is equally important to highlight its shortcomings - the provisions set out in South Africa's relatively new constitution do not translate into a better life for all, particularly young women. There are challenges that still need to be addressed. In this open forum, I argue that some of the challenges faced by young women today are an indirect result of a crippled and inconsistent women's movement. Many young women's initiatives lack a strong analysis of gendered, rights-based discourses in their programming, and this is based on a weak women's movement and lack of engagement with feminist ideology and practice. Without a vibrant and consistent women's movement, the spirit of the 1956 women's marches is not kept alive, and the legacy of the women's movement is not passed on to the younger generation. Additionally, I shall examine the current face of women's activism to ascertain whether these structures offer an enabling environment for ordinary young women to embrace feminist identity and become gender activists.