Abesifazane—Ingabe Bayahlonishwa Emsebenzini?

“Kungakhathaliseki ukuthi awashadile noma ashadile, iningi lamadoda lalibheka abesifazane njengabantu okufanele bazingelwe.”—UJenny, owayengunobhala wezomthetho.

“Ukuhlukunyezwa ngokobulili nokuxhashazwa kwabesifazane esibhedlela kuyaziwa.”—USarah, umhlengikazi ongokomthetho.

“Ngangeshelwa njalo emsebenzini, okungukuthi, kwenziwa ukusikisela kokuziphatha okubi.”—UJean, umhlengikazi ongokomthetho.

INGABE lokhu kubonisa isimo esingavamile, noma ingabe kusakazeke kabanzi? IPhaphama! yaxoxa nabesifazane abaningana abanokuhlangenwe nakho emsebenzini. Ingabe babehlonishwa noma babephathwa ngesithunzi ozakwabo besilisa? Nakhu okunye abakusho:

USarah, umhlengikazi waseNew Jersey, eU.S.A., onokuhlangenwe nakho kweminyaka eyisishiyagalolunye ezibhedlela zempi zaseU.S.: “Ngikhumbula lapho ngikhonza eSan Antonio, eTexas, futhi kwavela ithuba lomsebenzi eMnyangweni weKidney Dialysis. Ngabuza iqembu lodokotela ukuthi yini okwakudingeka ngiyenze ukuze ngithole lowomsebenzi. Omunye waphendula ngokumoyizela, ‘Hamba uyolala nodokotela ophethe.’ Ngamane ngathi, ‘Ngenxa yalezozimo angiwufuni lowomsebenzi.’ Kodwa ngokuvamile kungaleyondlela ukukhushulwa nemisebenzi okunqunywa ngayo. Owesifazane kumelwe avumele owesilisa ohuhekayo nobusayo.

“Ngesinye isikhathi, ngangisebenza egumbini elinabagulela ukufa ngixhuma amaIV [intravenous lines] esigulini lapho udokotela efika futhi engipotoza izinqe. Ngangithukuthele futhi ngaphonseka egumbini eliseduze. Wangilandela futhi washo okuthile okuyinkohlakalo. Ngamane ngamshaya ngesibhakela futhi ngamlahlela emgqonyeni kadoti! Ngaphindela khona kanye esigulini sami. Ngokusobala akazange angihlukumeze futhi!”

UMiriam, owesifazane oshadile waseGibithe owayengumabhalane eCairo, wachaza isimo sabesifazane abasebenza endaweni yamaMuslim aseGibithe. “Abesifazane bagqoka ngesizotha esikhulu kunasemphakathini waseNtshonalanga. Angizange ngikubone ukuhlukunyezwa ngokobulili okungokoqobo lapho ngisebenza khona. Kodwa kukhona ukuhlukunyezwa ngokobulili emgwaqweni ohamba ngaphansi waseCairo kangangokuthi manje inqola yokuqala igcinelwe abesifazane.”

UJean, owesifazane ozithulele kodwa onesizotha onokuhlangenwe nakho kweminyaka engu-20 njengomhlengikazi, wathi: “Ngalandela inkambiso engahlehli yokungapholi nanoma ubani emsebenzini. Kodwa ukuhlukunyezwa kwafika kungakhathaliseki ukuthi ngangisebenzelana nodokotela noma izisebenzi zasesibhedlela zesilisa. Bonke babecabanga ukuthi babesibambe ngengqondo. Uma thina bahlengikazi ‘singabambisani’ nabo ezinkanukweni zabo zobulili, khona-ke izisebenzi zasesibhedlela zazingeke zibe khona lapho sidinga usizo lokuphakamisa isiguli sisilalise embhedeni nezinto ezinjalo.”

UJenny wayesebenza njengonobhala wezomthetho iminyaka eyisikhombisa. Uchaza lokho akubona lapho esebenza nabameli. “Kungakhathaliseki ukuthi awashadile noma ashadile, iningi lamadoda lalibheka abesifazane njengabantu okufanele bazingelwe. Isimo sabo sengqondo sasiwukuthi, ‘Njengabameli siyakufanelekela, futhi abesifazane bangelinye lamalungelo ethu.’” Futhi ubufakazi bubonakala bubonisa ukuthi ezinye izikhulu zinombono ofanayo. Kodwa yini owesifazane angayenza ukuze anciphise ukuhlukunyezwa?

UDarlene, umMelika onsundu owayesebenza njengonobhala nanjengomthengisi endlini yokudlela, wathi: “Izinto zingabheda uma wehluleka ukubeka imingcele yakho yokuziphatha. Uma indoda iqala ukukudlalisa bese nawe uyidlalisa, khona-ke kalula nje izinto zingaba ezingalawuleki. Kuye kwadingeka ngichaze isimo sami ngokucacile ezimweni ezihlukahlukene. Ngiye ngasebenzisa izinkulumo ezinjengokuthi, ‘Bengingakwazisa ukuba ubungakhulumanga nami ngaleyondlela.’ Kwesinye isenzakalo ngathi: ‘Njengowesifazane oshadile, ngithola lokho okushilo kucasula, futhi angiboni ukuthi indoda yami ingakwazisa lokho.’

“Iphuzu liwukuthi, uma ufuna inhlonipho, kufanele uyifanelekele. Futhi angiboni ukuthi owesifazane angayizuza kanjani inhlonipho uma ezama ukuncintisana namadoda kulokho engikubiza ngokuthi inkulumo engamanyala—amahlaya ahlazisayo nokusikisela kobulili. Uma ungagcizeleli umngcele phakathi kwenkulumo nokuziphatha okwamukelekayo nokungamukeleki, khona-ke enye indoda iyozama ukuweqa.”

Owesilisa Ohlukumezayo

UConnie, umhlengikazi onokuhlangenwe nakho kweminyaka engu-14, wachaza olunye uhlobo lokuhlukunyezwa olungaphakama ezimweni eziningi. “Ngangisebenza nodokotela esimisweni esivamile sokushintsha amabhandeshi. Ngalandela zonke izinqubo eziyisimiso engangizifundile. Ngazi konke ngenqubo yokugcina isilonda namabhandeshi kuhlanzekile, njalonjalo. Kodwa akukho okwakulungile kulowodokotela. Wayengithethisa futhi agxeke noma yini engangiyenza. Lento, ukudelela abesifazane, ivame kakhulu. Amanye amadoda anenkinga yokuqhosha, futhi kubonakala sengathi anesidingo sokuphoqelela igunya lawo kwabesifazane abasebenza nawo.”

USarah, ocashunwe ngaphambili, wanezela okuhlangenwe nakho kwakhe maqondana nalokhu. “Ngangisebenza ngilungiselela ukuhlinza lapho ngihlola isimo sesiguli. Irekhodi laso leEKG [electrocardiogram] lalingavamile kangangokuthi ngangazi ukuthi kwakungesona isimo esasingase sihlinzwe sikuso. Ngenza iphutha lokuletha lokhu ekunakekeleni kukadokotela ohlinzayo. Wayethukuthele, futhi ukusabela kwakhe kwakungukuthi: ‘Abahlengikazi kufanele banake izikiki, hhayi amaEKG.’ Ngakho ngamane ngazisa isazi sezibulala-zinzwa esiyinhloko, futhi wathi ngaphansi kwalezizimo iqembu lakhe lalingeke livumelane nodokotela ohlinzayo. Khona-ke udokotela ohlinzayo waphenduka futhi watshela umfazi waleyondoda ukuthi yimina okwakumelwe asolwe ngokuthi indoda yakhe ayikahlinzwa namanje! Kulesosimo owesifazane akanakunqoba. Ngani? Ngenxa yokuthi uye wasongela ungahlosile ubudoda bowesilisa.”

Ngokucacile, abesifazane ngokuvamile bayizisulu zokuhlukunyezwa nokuphathwa ngendlela ephansi emsebenzini. Kodwa kuyini ukuma kwabo phambi komthetho?

Abesifazane Nomthetho

Kwamanye amazwe kuye kwathatha abesifazane amakhulu amaningi eminyaka ukuba bafinyelele ngisho nokulingana okungokwengqondo ngaphansi komthetho. Futhi lapho umthetho ugcizelela khona ukulingana, ngokuvamile kuba negebe elikhulu elihlukanisa ukwazi ngengqondo nokwenza.

Incwadi yeUN iWorld’s Women—1970-1990 ithi: “Ingxenye enkulu yaleligebe [igebe lenkambiso kahulumeni] ihlanganisiwe emithethweni enqabela abesifazane ukulingana namadoda emalungelweni abo okuba nendawo, ukutsheleka imali nokungenela izikontileka.” Njengoba omunye wesifazane waseUganda asho: “Siyaqhubeka siyizakhamuzi zezinga eliphansi—cha, eziphansi kakhulu, njengoba amadodana ethu eza ngaphambi kwethu. Ngisho nezimbongolo nogandaganda ngezinye izikhathi kuthola impatho engcono.”

Incwadi yeTime-Life ethi Men and Women ithi: “Ngo-1920, uMthetho we-19 woMthetho-sisekelo waseUnited States waqinisekisa abesifazane ilungelo lokuvota—esikhathini eside ngemva kokuba sebelizuzile kakade lelolungelo emazweni amaningi aseYurophu. Kodwa ilungelo lokuvota alizange linikezwe eBrithani kwaze kwaba ngo-1928 (futhi kwaze kwaba ngemva kweMpi Yezwe II eJapane).” Ukuze abonise ukungavumelani nokubandlululwa kwabesifazane okungokombangazwe, umlweli wamalungelo abesifazane eBrithani, uEmily Wilding Davison, waziphonsa phambi kwehhashi leNkosi eMjahweni ka-1913 futhi wafa. Waba umfel’ ukholo ngenxa yokulwela amalungelo alinganayo abesifazane.

Lona kanye iqiniso lokuthi kuze kwaba ngo-1990, lapho iSigele saseU.S. sicabangela i“Violence Against Women Act” libonisa ukuthi abashayi-mthetho ababuswa abesilisa baye bephuza ukusabela ezidingweni zabesifazane.

Lokhu kucatshangelwa okufushane kokuphathwa kwabesifazane emhlabeni wonke kusiholela embuzweni othi, Ingabe izindaba ziyoke zihluke? Yini edingekile ukuze isimo sishintshe? Izihloko ezilandelayo ezimbili zizoxoxa ngaleyomibuzo.

[Ibhokisi/Isithombe ekhasini 11]

Obani Abaneshwa?

“Abesifazane benza izingxenye ezimbili kwezintathu zomsebenzi womhlaba. Bakhiqiza amaphesenti angu-60 kuya kwangu-80 okudla kwaseAfrika naseAsia, amaphesenti angu-40 okudla kwaseLatin America. Nokho bahola ingxenye eyodwa kweziyishumi zemali engenayo yezwe futhi banephesenti elingaphansi kwelilodwa lempahla yomhlaba. Baphakathi kwabampofu kakhulu kwabampofu bomhlaba.”—May You Be the Mother of a Hundred Sons, kaElisabeth Bumiller.

“Iqiniso liwukuthi amantombazanyana awayi esikoleni [kwezinye izingxenye zomhlaba] ngoba awekho amanzi okuphuza anempilo. . . . Ngiye ngabona amantombazane aseminyakeni yokuthomba eyolanda amanzi okuphuza endaweni eqhele ngamakhilomitha angamashumi amabili futhi ngezinye izikhathi ngamashumi amathathu, okuthatha usuku lonke. Ngesikhathi eneminyaka eyishumi nane noma eyishumi nanhlanu, lamantombazane . . . awakaze aye esikoleni, awakaze afunde lutho.”—UJacques-Yves Cousteau, kwethi The Unesco Courier, kaNovember 1991.

[Isithombe ekhasini 10]

Ukuhlukunyezwa ngokobulili akumelwe kuvunyelwe