Latest news with #workingwomen
Daily Mail
12-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Ladies In Black: Trailer, certificate and where to watch
The working women of a swanky Sydney department store open the doors to the Swinging Sixties 2024
The Guardian
07-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Beyond the bonnets: Jane Austen's working women finally get their place in the spotlight
After Elizabeth Bennet walked three miles across fields to visit her sick sister, the heroine of Pride and Prejudice came in for scandalising criticism of her 'blowsy' hair and petticoats 'six inches deep in mud'. What of the women who restored Elizabeth's hair to coiffed curls and washed the filthy petticoats? Jane Austen's novels include mentions of working women, such as housekeepers, maids and governesses, but now an exhibition puts their stories in the spotlight. Beyond the Bonnets: Working Women in Jane Austen's Novels is being mounted by the Hampshire Cultural Trust as part of celebrations marking the 250th anniversary of the author's birth. It features working women in Austen's home county of Hampshire in the Georgian era, pairing voiced extracts from her novels and letters with dozens of objects illustrating their daily lives. 'Working women were not the centre, the lead characters, in Austen's novels, but they do play an important role, and sometimes develop the plot,' said Kathleen Palmer, the exhibition's curator. 'They enable the lives of the heroines and heroes – the bustling towns and stately homes wouldn't function without these women.' Through the lens of Austen's life and her lesser-known characters, the exhibition focuses on three key areas of work in the 18th century: domestic service, education and childcare, and trade. Stories include that of Susannah Sackree, a nursemaid to the 11 children of Austen's brother Edward, and later the family's housekeeper. She worked for the family until her death at the age of 89. Unusually, the family commissioned a portrait of her, and described her on her memorial stone as a 'faithful servant and friend' and 'beloved nurse'. Another real-life character in the exhibition is Mary Martin, who ran an inn in Basingstoke and organised monthly balls attended by Austen and her sister Cassandra. Martin later ran a draper's shop, complete with a circulating library. 'Then we find Mrs Whitby in (Austen's unfinished novel) Sanditon running a circulating library. So Austen was pulling people that she came across into her novels,' said Palmer. Martin ran the inn after her husband's death. Another woman forced by bereavement to step into the world of work was Ann Freeman, who took over her late husband's business as a glazier and built it into a successful enterprise employing several men. Sign up to The Guide Get our weekly pop culture email, free in your inbox every Friday after newsletter promotion In comparison, the lives of domestic servants were more restricted, both by their workload and by their terms of employment. Maids were usually hired for about £8 a year, with accommodation, meals and sometimes clothing included. They were under contract, which meant leaving their employment without permission could result in a fine or imprisonment in the County Bridewell prison in Winchester where hard labour awaited them. Domestic tasks such as laundry were onerous, with clothes, bed linen and other household items washed by hand. 'It meant hauling water, boiling the cottons and linens, washing them with pungent lye soap, which burnt the skin, rinsing the clothes in clean water, which meant hauling more water from the well or a nearby stream, twisting the cloths to remove as much water as possible, hanging the clothes to dry, and then praying that rain would stay away long enough for the sun to perform its duty as a dryer,' according to the website, Jane Austen's World. Beyond the Bonnets: Working Women in Jane Austen's Novels is at the Arc in Winchester, 26 July until 2 November, and the Willis museum in Basingstoke, 12 November until 22 February.
Mail & Guardian
12-06-2025
- Health
- Mail & Guardian
Workplaces must wake up to the harmful invisibility of endometriosis
One in 10 women suffers from endometriosis, but workplaces seldom recognise this debilitating condition. Photo: Pexels/Anna Shvets In a country grappling with gender equity, rising workplace absenteeism, and the push for inclusive labour policies under the Basic Conditions of Employment Act (BCEA), endometriosis remains an overlooked crisis, one that silently undermines South Africa's efforts to create humane, productive and equitable workplaces. 'You don't look sick,' is a phrase women with endometriosis hear way too often at work, at home, in doctors' offices and sometimes from themselves. In conversations with others navigating endometriosis, a recurring theme emerges: the overwhelming burden of managing pain in silence, often while trying to meet workplace expectations. Many speak of being expected to justify absences long before receiving a diagnosis, as if their health problems were inconveniences rather than legitimate concerns. These experiences show how invisible endometriosis remains in the workplace, not just in terms of physical pain, but also the stigma and lack of accommodations that quietly shape career trajectories. And behind that invisibility lies one of the most debilitating and misunderstood health crises affecting working women today. Endometriosis is a condition where tissue similar to the uterine lining grows outside the uterus. It affects roughly one in 10 women globally. That's millions silently battling chronic pain, fatigue and infertility. In South Africa, where access to specialist care is uneven and healthcare resources are strained, many women face even longer delays in diagnosis and appropriate treatment. Research shows that it takes seven to 10 years to get a diagnosis. During that time, many women are gaslit, misdiagnosed or dismissed. The consequence? Careers cut short, dignity eroded, jobs lost and health quietly sacrificed on the altar of workplace performance. This structural mismatch between what employees need and what workplaces demand creates a dynamic where women feel pressured to mask their pain to avoid stigma, job loss or being labelled as unreliable. This is especially damaging in sectors where sick leave is tightly controlled, or in precarious work environments with little room for flexibility. The unpredictable nature of endometriosis flare-ups makes consistent attendance and productivity difficult. Missed promotions, unfair performance reviews, or job losses are not uncommon. This undermines employment equity, not only along gender lines but also class and health lines. At many workplaces, 'diversity and inclusion' is reduced to a wellness day or a motivational speaker. But for employees doubled over in pain, that kind of tokenism is not support, it's avoidance. Chronic illness remains the elephant in the boardroom. South Africa's progress toward workplace transformation, through broad-based black economic empowerment and equity laws is commendable. But to be truly inclusive, policies must also account for the experiences of those managing chronic, often invisible health conditions such as endometriosis. This gap signals the need for a more intersectional approach to workplace equity. A framework for change To end this cycle, here is a four-part framework South African workplace can adopt immediately 1. Policy reform: Recognise chronic illness in HR and organisational policies. Review BCEA provisions in relation to long-term, fluctuating conditions like endometriosis. 2. Flexible work options: Enable remote work, adjustable schedules, and rest breaks during flare-ups, especially important in South Africa's mixed rural-urban labour economy. 3. Manager education: Train supervisors to replace scepticism with empathy. Awareness reduces stigma and improves productivity. 4. Support systems: Create access to mental health resources, safe disclosure channels, and peer support groups. These are low-cost interventions that are effective. I explore this framework in detail in my recent article which you can read When flare-ups hit, routine tasks become mountains. Without proper support, women are forced to choose between health and income. For South Africa, where high unemployment, youth joblessness and gender inequality already intersect, this is an unacceptable trade-off. Endometriosis is not just a medical condition, it's a workplace issue. One that demands recognition under policies and labour codes, and inclusion in discussions around productivity and well-being. If we claim to care about transformation, dignity, and decent work, we must move beyond superficial gestures. It's time to stop brushing off pain that doesn't show on a scan and start building workplaces that are compassionate, inclusive, and prepared for reality. Endometriosis is real. Women's pain is real. It's time our policies, leaders, and workplace cultures responded like it. Zimkhitha Juqu is a researcher, published and cited author interested in gender, health equity and workplace inclusion.
