Women’s Narratives on Gender Equality and Subjective Well-being in contemporary South Africa

Abstract

South Africa has committed to gender justice and concomitant legal frameworks over the last 27 years. Yet, there has been little evaluation of how this impacted women’s lives and sense of happiness. While feminist scholars are sceptical of the popular discourse on happiness, there has been concern with the importance of embodiment, subjective experience and affect in challenging patriarchal logics. This paper argues that happiness should be an issue in gender justice efforts. We should be concerned about subjective positive affect and well-being in policies directed at gender justice. The article discusses a feminist qualitative study that explored links between gender equality and happiness among South African women. Qualitative individual interviews were held with women considered key informants. Focus groups were held with women not involved in the gender sector or happiness studies, but who could relate their everyday experiences. While we cannot assess the impact of gender equality measures on women’s well-being in post-apartheid, we wanted to hear what women say about the possibility for happiness and gender equality. The results suggest that gender equality and happiness are perceived to be entangled in complex, nuanced and non-linear ways. Three themes emerged that illustrate this enmeshed relationship: 1) the perception of gender equality as determinant of and necessary for happiness; 2) the reported gap between gender equality promises and women’s lived experiences; and 3) perceptions that happiness is possible without gender equality. The paper argues the importance of critical considerations of positive affect, sense of well-being and happiness in any gender justice project.