Abstract
The deeply entrenched societal practice of transfers, especially those which are financial in nature, made by one person to another was the focus of this study, in particular, the kind unique to the experiences of Black people, namely, Black tax. This study sought to understand Black tax as it applies to South African working women on account of the layered nature of their experiences – more so when they are paired with a practice as palpable as Black tax. The aims of this study were to investigate how South African women internalise their experiences of Black tax; to ascertain whether these women believed that there are higher or different expectations of them, compared with their male counterparts; and to understand whether they considered themselves as being shackled or liberated by Black tax, or both. A qualitative research approach was used to unpack the experiences of the participants. Data were collected from 14 participants through semi-structured interviews. The findings revealed four themes: (a) Black woman in a Black society, (b) traditional sense of Black tax, (c) the work life of a Black woman and (d) patriarchy and the racialisation of the Black woman. These spheres are interlinked, where experiences in one affect the other. The accounts of the participants in this study proved they are faced by a number of unpleasant experiences in their private, organisational and social lives. To explore Black tax in the manner outlined in this study is to give the Black experience a supplemented voice – it is to offer a more dynamic understanding of the challenges and experiences faced by Black women. Recommendations for future research are proposed.
Keywords: Black tax, Black tax on women; intersectionality, women, race, patriarchy, gender, South Africa