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What does Women's Day mean to you?
It's respecting and acknowledging women. I think in the past we were not taken seriously and for once women are acknowledged as equals - certainly in the business world and now in the home environment too.

What do you love about being a woman?
Everything, there's nothing that I dislike. I love being able to dress up: to be beautiful and to feel beautiful. And most importantly I love to be challenged and compete in the man's world.

What challenges do you think still face women in SA?
I think a lot of abuse. It's really a mindset from a man's perspective. There are still a lot of chauvinistic men out there who feel they are better. A lot of women don't know what their rights are, they just accept that it's not going to get any better. Whereas you can make a difference if you actually get out there and test yourself.

Do you feel you can enjoy all the freedom and opportunity that men enjoy?
Absolutely, I can kick my husband's butt at running any time!

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What does Women's Day mean to you?
It's a day when women come together and are recognised in the country. Especially when you're in the fashion industry - males are doing a lot nowadays. So Women's Day is a day to inspire the women, to say: this day is for you, you can do something.

What do you love about being a woman?
I prefer being a lady rather than a man - clothes are better and women have more power over things. That's what I've learnt.

What challenges do you think still face women in SA?
Most businesses have male owners. I feel it's harder for women because people feel that men have more of a business mindset and they're more managerial than women. I want to change that.

Do you feel you can enjoy all the freedom and opportunity that men enjoy?
Yes I feel like I can. I want to show males that I can be as good as they are. Even at school I do that: when the guys draw better than me in technical drawing I try and do better than them.

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What do you love about being a woman?
I think being able to transform yourself into so many different roles with clothes, make up and style. 0ne day you can be really casual and the next day you can wear a beautiful dress.

What challenges do you think still face women in SA?
With the girls I worked with there weren't many people really supporting their future. They don't have as many opportunities for the long term.

Do you feel you can enjoy all the freedom and opportunity that men enjoy?
I think there are groups where girls get the same opportunity in terms of education. But in different areas the differences are much bigger. There are a lot of contrasts.

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What does Women's Day mean to you?
It's good for women to have a day for themselves. It’s a special day for women to look after ourselves.

What challenges do you think still face women in SA?
Women abuse is still a serious problem. Women are often being abused by men.

Do you feel you can enjoy all the freedom and opportunity that men enjoy?
No, because I'm a woman and I don't find it easy. The way men treat women is different from the way we treat men. They treat us in a bad way.

What will you be doing this Women's Day?
I'm working on Saturday but I will work just a half day and then go home and spoil myself.

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What does Women's Day mean to you?
I love the whole fact of Women's Day. Ninety percent of the organisations I work with are driven and inspired by women. I feel we as women have such special gifts. We were designed by God to really care and through that we are making a difference.

What challenges do you think still face women in SA?
I think most of the time it's just believing that you as a woman can be on your own and you can make a difference. Sometimes women think that they're not strong enough or that they won't be able to handle things.

Do you feel you can enjoy all the freedom and opportunity that men enjoy?
I think South Africa is completely free in that. I think women have more opportunities than men if you look at who gets jobs first.

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What does Women's Day mean to you?
It gives us hope that we as women are taken care of and we are remembered and at the end of the day we are appreciated for what we are doing as women.

What do you love about being a woman?
I love the fact that we as women have power, we've got strength. In the past women used to sit at home and be housewives but now we can do things on our own. We're always striving to make things happen on our own and we have proved to ourselves that we can do things.

What challenges do you think still face women in SA?
I think in SA we are faced with a lot of challenges. Women have to stand up and realise that they are here for a purpose. There's a huge stigma around diseases like HIV/Aids. When people look at women with HIV/Aids they think they cannot do anything themselves. We have to live positively and we have to make things happen.

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What does Women's Day mean to you?
It means the liberation of women in South Africa and as a whole.

What challenges do you think still face women in SA?
I think the economy is taking a little bit of a downward turn now and I think we've got to work harder now to keep up.

Do you feel you can enjoy all the freedom and opportunity that men enjoy?
I think we have advanced a long way and that we've now got the freedom to do what we want to do and the ability to do what we want to do. I feel we're on a par with the guys. I do think there's been a lot of change over the last few decades because I've seen that.

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What does Women's Day mean to you?
I think it’s a good thing that women are being celebrated in this country. We contribute politically and economically, and I think women do need to be recognised as a strong force within the country.

What do you love about being a woman?
I love the ability to be able to change our minds when we feel like it! We're living in a lot of freedom but I think we still need to find liberation in one-on-one interactions with each other and with males.

What challenges do you think still face women in South Africa today?
Men are giving us too many liberties and using that as a crutch for not being chivalrous. I think they take us for granted in that sense, saying: women can do it for themselves, they should take the initiative, they're women, they're liberated. But I think there is still room for men to step up to the plate.

Do you feel you can enjoy all the freedom and opportunity that men enjoy?
In my industry I think men generally get more work. So you have a lot of competition amongst the women but it’s a challenge you just have to deal with.

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What do you love about being a woman?
What I love is that there is a special tenderness that women have. Whenever something is hurting with kids, I suppose being a nurse you see that, they run to you- and less so to men. The other thing I love about women is the effect we can have on men. I suppose we can get to a part of men that they don't often get to themselves. And I love the touch we have in a home.

What challenges do you think still face women in SA?
I think there's quite a lot of challenges. A lot of progress has been made for women but I think there's still a lot of stigma that has got to be overcome in the way men view women. Some women go into jobs to prove a point rather than do what they really want to be doing, and I think they make life quite tough for themselves and it's a pity. Women can just be women without having too much to prove and I think that’s what a lot of SA has to learn.

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What does Women's Day mean to you?
It is a date to appreciate what women have done and achieved- especially mothers.

What do you love about being a woman?
Bulelwa: I love being beautiful and being exposed to many things and many challenges and getting all the attention because mostly girls and women get all the attention.

What challenges do you think still face women in SA?
There are many hard challenges, especially rape, teenage pregnancies, and HIV/Aids.

Do you feel you can enjoy all the freedom and opportunity that men enjoy?
Bulelwa: I think sometimes guys have more privileges generally than girls because they're boys. Amanda: I think we have much more opportunities than boys. If we ask for something we get it first time rather than boys and men.

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What does Women's Day mean to you?
Women's Day and Women's Month is a time to share with South Africa what women are doing; how they're empowering themselves and what sort of people they've become over time- because times have really changed for women.

What do you love about being a woman?
I love the fact that I can get to say what I want. There never really was a space to say what you want, what you feel and what your rights are. I think there's a lot more space for women to now do that.

What challenges do you think still face women in SA?
I think there are still a lot of places and fields where women have to really push that they're equal to men, and they're underestimated a helluva lot. Also abuse - that’s a very big challenge that South African women face.

Do you feel you can enjoy all the freedom and opportunity that men enjoy?
In film making you get to be on a par with men but not in being the director or being the camera men. They often think that you wouldn't be able to carry a camera, so they put women in production management.