The Enduring Legacy of the 1956 Women's March
Every year on August 9th, South Africa observes Women's Day, a commemoration rooted in a historic protest. A powerful protest song, featuring the call and response, “You have struck a woman,” met with, “so, you have struck a rock!”, echoes the defiance of that day. This chant originates from the 1956 march where 20,000 women converged on the Union Buildings in Pretoria. Their objective was to oppose the apartheid government's intention to extend discriminatory 'pass laws' to African women, a system already imposing severe restrictions on African men's mobility and freedom.
The pass laws, if extended, would have subjected thousands of Black domestic workers to arbitrary police stops and searches, further eroding their limited autonomy. The protest was meticulously organized by the multiracial Federation of South African Women (FEDSAW) and the Women’s League of the African National Congress (ANC). After extensive preparation, thousands of predominantly Black women journeyed to the seat of the Afrikaner government early on a Thursday morning, a day colloquially known as “Sheila’s Day.” This term, 'Sheila,' was a dehumanizing generic label used by white employers for their Black domestic workers, often granting them Thursdays off.
As a delegation presented a petition, the assembled women erupted in song, directly challenging then-Prime Minister JG Strijdom with the defiant refrain, “Strijdom, you have struck the women, so you have struck a rock!”
From Activism to Legislative Change
The spirit of the 1956 march resonated through subsequent generations of activists. In the 1990s, the protest song became an anthem for young feminists advocating against gender-based violence and for the rights of pregnant women with HIV/AIDS. Older women who had participated in the 1956 march shared their experiences, often recounting how they defied societal norms and even the objections of male comrades to join the protest. They articulated how race, class, and gender intersected to shape their realities, providing a critical framework for understanding systemic inequalities.
These narratives underscored that sexism was not external to the anti-apartheid struggle; women had to simultaneously fight alongside men for liberation and for their own equality within the movement. Although the 1956 rally did not immediately halt the pass laws, its long-term impact on the South African political landscape was profound. It effectively catalyzed the South African women’s movement, providing a blueprint for activism and analysis for future generations.
Upon the dismantling of apartheid in 1994, many women who had been instrumental in the 1956 march remained active in politics. The women's movement they had helped cultivate was so influential in the transition to democracy that nearly a third of the incoming parliament was composed of women. This remarkable representation positioned South Africa as a global leader in female political participation.
The 'daughters of 1956,' once in power, championed and enacted numerous progressive legal and policy reforms. These included advancements in reproductive rights, amendments to customary law and marriage regulations, and improved protections for domestic workers. Consequently, South Africa now boasts some of the most advanced laws and policies globally aimed at promoting gender equity and equality. Currently, women constitute approximately 45 percent of parliamentarians and 44 percent of ministers, demonstrating sustained political representation.
The Persistent Gap Between Formal Rights and Lived Realities
Despite these significant legislative and political achievements, the promise of equality has not fully translated into tangible safety and well-being for all South African women. A national study on gender-based violence revealed that 33.1 percent of women aged 18 and older have experienced physical violence in their lifetime. Disturbingly, one in five men surveyed admitted to perpetrating physical or sexual intimate partner violence. This pervasive violence highlights a critical disjuncture: laws can evolve much faster than the deeply ingrained attitudes, relationships, and behaviors that define women's daily lives.
A similar disparity exists in the economic sphere. There is a stark contrast between the rights enjoyed by women in positions of power, who have been instrumental in shaping South Africa's progressive laws, and the realities faced by women in impoverished communities. Women living in poverty are disproportionately affected by high unemployment rates, gender-based violence, and inadequate access to essential health and education services. In contrast, many middle-class women now experience privileges that were once exclusively reserved for the white minority.
This persistent economic inequality is largely attributed to the fact that, in the three decades since apartheid ended, the ANC-led government has made limited progress in dismantling the fundamental economic structures inherited from the apartheid era. Consequently, formal equality, enshrined in law, has not yet translated into material equality for millions of South African women.
For many, the statistics on women's well-being in South Africa offer little cause for optimism, leading to a sense of weariness rather than celebration on Women's Day. However, the women's movement ignited by the 1956 march offers a crucial lesson: achieving true gender equality requires more than just women's advocacy. It necessitates a collective 'call and response.' For generations, women have made the call; the time has come for men to actively respond and contribute to creating a truly equitable society.
