#shilika

By Shilika Chisoko

Like any Rhodes University students, Rochelle Bessinger and Tutsirayi Zimwandei hate morning classes. The combined stress of assignments seemed to weigh them down as they walked to their 07:45 class. On top of having to get up for these early morning classes, they have practicals four times a week from 14:00 to 17:00. By the time they get to the dining hall for suike mapper, they have the energy of a tortoise.

Pictured: Rochelle Bessinger and Tutsirayi Zimwandei.

“You Journalism kids have no idea what we have to go through to achieve the bare minimum”, says Bessinger. She carries on for 15 minutes talking about the difficulties of pursuing a science degree whilst Zimwandei supports her with a series of ‘mmmm’s’ and ‘ahhhhs’. They do not realise that they are a part of a demographic that defies stereotypes that have been placed upon women for centuries.

In most of human history, women have been discouraged from pursuing careers that are intellectually challenging on the grounds that they cannot handle the pressure. The argument that females are the ‘fairer sex’ is what has been used to bar them from entering the various fields of academia. However, the 20th century saw the emergence of the feminist movement as females were tired of being pushed to the side-lines. Among other things, they fought for the right to be welcomed into workspaces that had been exclusively for men.

A lot of progress has been made since then. Women begun to penetrate work spaces that were predominantly male. Marie Curie was one of the first women to do so. In 1903 she became the first woman to win a Nobel Prize in physics and later won another one in chemistry. She is the only woman to have ever won a Nobel Prize two times. Her ground- breaking achievements set the precedent for many women who wanted to pursue predominantly male careers.

In present day, women are still fighting for acceptance in these spaces. One third year student from the University of Cape Town, who requested to remain anonymous, says that she experiences prejudice from her male counterparts. Chanda* is pursuing a degree in Actuarial Science, a degree that requires a lot of hard work. She says that being  female in a predominantly male space is challenging. She does not receive respect from the males who think she is too weak and some of the females. Thus her contributions are often shot down, slowing her academic progress. Women are also subject to being sexualised and objectified in these spaces. On the 4th of May, a poster was put up in the main library at the University of Zambia which read:

“Notice to all female students: It has come to our attention that some female students dress half naked as they use the library, a situation which is disturbing the male students. We advise you to dress modestly as you use the university library.” The head Librarian has since issued a statement disassociating the library from any sort of misogynistic conduct.

She states that the University was not responsible for the poster and an investigation would be carried out. Despite these atrocities that are still happening, there has been an increase in the women that are pursuing predominantly male careers. According to an article published on Wunsystems in 2018, the number of women going into male dominated work spaces is on the rise. Institutions like Rhodes University admit more females than males. In addition to this, in 2018 nearly 65% of the graduates at Rhodes University were women. This is a huge step in enabling women to be welcomed in all academic circles. Degree courses such as Pharmacy and Science have been traditionally male dominated spaces. However, this initiative undertaken by the University gives women a chance to operate on an even playing field.

 “I mean it’s literally a sea of females in Maths 1, with like your occasional boy here and there, and even in the line for my chemistry practical there were a million girls and one boy”, says Bessinger, in-between fits of laughter. This statement, despite being made in a nonchalant manner, is reflective of the changes that are taking place in our society.

 This change is also seeing men being more accepting of women in these spaces. Chimwemwe Phiri, is a first year student at Asia Pacific University of Technology and Innovation in Malaysia, studying actuarial science. “It was strange working with women, more so when they possess more knowledge than you”, said Phiri. He went on to state that in the beginning this intimidated him but as time continued he began to see women as equals.

 Vincent Punabantu, a first year civil engineering student, says that as opposed to the belief that engineering is a course for males only. There are a good number of women in his class. Women are no longer subjected to fulfilling gender roles imposed on them.

Pictured: Vincent Punabantu.

One prominent Nigerian author, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie in a 2012 TED talk entitled ‘We should all be feminists’ highlights the importance of education in ensuring that young girls and women are able to pursue their ambitions.

At Rhodes University women are taking prominent positions in predominantly male departments. This is seen in the case of Mrs Joyce Sewry, who is the Deputy Dean of Science. Another female lecturer who holds a position that usually would go to males is Dr. Sue Marais, who is the head of the English department. The registrar of Fairer Rhodes University Dr. Adele Moodly is also one of the females breaking the stereotypes imposed on women.

 Although a bias is imposed on women as they pursue certain fields of study, more schools should take an active role in encouraging them to pursue their dreams. This will ensure a better future for the learners of tomorrow, just as the early feminists facilitated change for the empowerment of women.