Rooibos Rocks For Women’s Day

It’s International Women’s Day on the 8^th of March – a day for recognising all the hard work done by women, for celebrating their amazing achievements and for focusing on the continuing struggle to create a genuinely gender equal world.

At Rooibos Rocks this is a day and cause very close to our hearts. Why? Because we appreciate that the gains women are making come at a price – and are actively providing support, both emotional and practical.

Women have come a long way

It’s easy to forget that until quite recently women had few rights and their sole job was to provide children and do whatever was needed at home. They were barred from any significant role in politics, the sciences, the arts, the professions and business. Women were treated as the property of their father or their husband. 

Some milestones on the road to emancipation:

1920: Women get the vote in the US

World Wars I & II: women take on “untraditional” jobs as men head to war.

1946: Inaugural session of the UN General Assembly, Eleanor Roosevelt famously reads an "open letter to the women of the world", urging for their increased involvement in national and international affairs.

1960: Invention of the contraceptive pill gives women control of their reproductive cycle and makes it easier for them to build a career

1963: Pay Act prohibiting sex-based wage discrimination between men and women performing the same job in the same workplace.

1970: The Female Eunuch by Germaine Greer and The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir published. 2007: Nancy Pelosi becomes the first female speaker of the House of Representatives

Women still have a long way to go to achieve true equality but in places like the US terrific progress has been made.

 

The downside of freedom

These changes have enabled huge numbers of women, in the developed world at least, to enter the workplace. So now they can “have it all” – a meaningful career that brings financial independence from men and, if they so choose, the rewards of being a mother and homemaker.

So, what’s not to like?

The trouble is that having it all also means doing it all, or at least a lot more than their fair share. A supportive partner can be a big help – but he can’t get pregnant, give birth or provide the kind of support a newborn needs. And even when children become toddlers and then young adults it’s generally mom that is most closely involved with them.

According to a recent study, women who work full-time and are raising two or more kids are 40 percent more stressed than working women with no children. Even moms with a job and only one kid are under more pressure, as researchers found they had an 18 percent higher level of stress. Of course, this isn’t news to moms - but it’s nice to have the proof!

Even if you aren’t juggling a job and kids it’s tough in the world of work. The lack of women in senior positions in many organisations suggests that they have to work harder to get the same rewards as men. It’s not just female film stars and sportswomen who struggle to get the same pay as their male counterparts.

How Rooibos Rocks is supporting women

Rooibos Rocks is a family business and one of us is a working mom – so we know all about how stressful it can be to juggle all the work-life stuff!

We’ve also discovered, from personal experience, how our rooibos tea can help us get through the most hectic of days without becoming totally stressed out. Here are a couple of our top tips:

 

When you feel the pressure mounting it’s time for a cuppa. Sounds silly, but it works. Just taking a quick break allows you to step back from the situation, draw breath and get some perspective on things.

 

This little shot of “me time” also breaks the cycle so many of us get locked into – putting the needs of others before our own. No matter how busy our schedule we’ve found that regular tea breaks, even very short ones, really help us keep our stress levels down and our energy levels up.

We also plan a few slightly longer tea breaks in our week – a half hour with a friend, relative or colleague where we can get things of our chest, swop ideas and just give each other a bit of emotional support.

Obviously, we’d recommend Rooibos Rocks as the beverage of choice for these breaks! But for good reason. It not only tastes delightfully refreshing, and hydrates your system, but is caffeine free. This is a pretty important benefit when the whole point of the break is to reduce your stress – caffeine will only rev your system and give you the jitters while rooibos helps to keep you calm and relaxed. It’s also 100% organic with no colourants, additives, preservatives or calories – so no worries there either! If you’d like to know a bit more about the health benefits of Rooibos Rocks you’ll find this post very informative.

Let’s work together to help create a gender equal world

We wholeheartedly support International Women’s Day and this year’s #EachforEqual campaign theme. But we also support women 365 days of the year as well. We do this by providing a tea that enhances your physical wellbeing with wholesome goodness.

If you are going to do your bit to support International Women’s Day in getting their “An equal world is an enabled world” message across you need all the help you can get – and we’re here for you!