Presently, women in South Africa are maintaining their optimism about the future of their families, children and the country. However, when women look at their own lives, they are less optimistic now than a year ago. Furthermore, most of the women in South Africa are intolerant of gender inequality, especially with regard to the right to education.
This is according to the latest Ipsos Markinor bi-annual omnibus survey results. The interviewing took place nationally from 4 April 2009 to 21 April 2009. A total of 3 340 in-home, face-to-face interviews were conducted where respondents were randomly selected according to strict scientific procedures in order to achieve a representative sample of the South African adult population, 18 years and older.
The results were filtered by all adult (18+) female responses. Depending on the response rate, the sample error for the poll based on the female representation is between 0.88% and 1.72%.
Considering that the current global economic recession hit South Africa towards the end of last year, women in South Africa were fairly divided in their views about the future. Only half of the women in South Africa believe that their children have a bright future ahead of them. About 4 in every 10 women in South Africa believe that their families’ lives will be better off in a year’s time, even though only 3 in every 10 women in South Africa felt that their families were better off than a year ago. Just over 4 in every 10 women in South Africa continue to believe that the country is moving in the right direction.
In May 2008, a third (33%) of women were satisfied with their lives; now only a quarter (26%) of women are satisfied with their lives.
Generally, men in South Africa are slightly more optimistic about their families’ future, their children’s future, their own lives, and the direction of the country in comparison to the female adult population in South Africa.
To summarise the findings:
Females
|
Males
|
May ’08 May ’09 May ’08 May ’09 Your family’s lives are better off than a year ago |
33% 30% 34% 32% Your family’s lives will be better off in a year’s time |
39% 39% 42% 40% | Your satisfaction with your own life has improved | 33% |
26% |
34% |
31% |
Your children or the children of family or friends have a bright future ahead of them | 52% |
51% |
53% |
54% |
The country is going in the right direction | 44% |
41% |
47% |
45% |
|
However, it is positive to note that nearly two-thirds of South African women (65%) agreed that over the last 15 years they have seen a great improvement in the area of women’s rights.
Levels of disagreement with the different forms of gender inequality:
• The highest intolerance was towards a man beating his wife: 86% of women in South Africa disagree that it is acceptable for a man to beat his wife
• This is followed by 8 in every 10 women (80%) disagreeing that a boy has more right to an education than a girl
• Then, seven out of every 10 women disagreed with the statement “a woman’s place is in the house”
• Slightly less than two-thirds of women (63%) disagreed that when jobs are scarce, men should have more right to jobs than women
• Lastly, just over half of women (54%) disagreed that men make better political leaders than women do
Below is a table showing the opinions of South African males and females on the following statements:
| MAY ’09 | Females |
Males |
Strongly agree/somewhat agree Strongly disagree/somewhat disagree Strongly agree/somewhat agree Strongly disagree/somewhat disagree It is acceptable for a man to beat his wife |
5% 86% 6% 82% A boy has more right to an education than a girl |
8% 80% 11% 73% | A women’s place is in the house | 14% |
70% |
20% |
60% |
When jobs are scarce, men should have more right to jobs than women | 22% |
63% |
38% |
42% |
Men make better political leaders than women do | 25% |
54% |
41% |
36% |
Overall, men in South Africa are more tolerant of gender inequalities than the women in South Africa.
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