Instead of perpetuating popular Women's Month celebrations that reinforce patriarchal norms, universities should lead the way in critical reflection and action.

As Women's Month unfolds in South Africa, I find myself again reflecting on the contradictions within its celebrations. This year, having been out of the country on research sabbatical, I've been spared the usual round of invitations to speak at various events, but my inbox is still flooded with communications about Women's Month activities across the country.

While I can dismiss the commercialised gestures from corporates, and the various pious efforts in the religious sector, it's particularly disturbing when universities - institutions meant to nurture critical thought - reduce Women's Month to what I have called "pink goody bag" events. This reveals the pervasive influence of patriarchy, manifested in what I call pampering, pedestal and palatable forms.

Pampering patriarchy

Every August, "pampering patriarchy" re-emerges, with women offered spa treatments and beauty makeovers in honour of Women's Day. At the risk of being a "feminist killjoy", as Sara Ahmed might put it, I argue that these gestures obscure a critical reality: women tend to need these breaks more, because they are subjected to patriarchal expectations that force them to work twice as hard as men for half the recognition and often a fraction of the salary.

One striking example was an...