COM 2004 Volume 9

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Women voices in the media of the Afrikaans language commumity - an historical perspective
(University of the Free State, 2004) Rabe, Lizette
How were the voices of women journalists in the Afrikaans speaking community in South Africa heard over the past century? Who were these women, and who pioneered the way before them? This article investigates the origin and development of Afrikaans women journalists against the background of the socio-political climate as manifested after the Anglo-Boer War. Discrimination against women was widespread, as in other cultures. However, after the Anglo-Boer War, it seems women relinquished their rights in favour of the Afrikaner Nationalist movement. This impacted even more on the rights of women as citizens who could contribute as equals on all levels of society. Individuals who pleaded for equality were silenced. Afrikaans women were not allowed - it was deemed as "the will of God" - to play a public role. In the Afrikaans journalism world, this manifested itself in the fact that women had to be content to play a secondary role for many decades. Those individuals who can be regarded as the pioneers in Afrikaans journalism are highlighted in this article. The need for more research in media historiography - not only with the focus on women, but also on those voices that were not heard because of class or race - is also articulated.