South African women are not only "comfortable in their own skin" (94 percent), but love themselves (97 percent), are confident, proud of who they are. Picture: Max Pixel

1Life, through their recent Honey Listen survey, set out to understand how South African women perceive themselves.

“Weave, natural hair, tall, short, skinny, large, bare-faced or made-up – these things do not define South African women. Gone are the days of being boxed and stifled – our research shows that South African women are really embracing their bodies, lives and relationships,” said Katharine Liese, head of marketing at 1Life.

“As we celebrate Women’s Month this month, we are so proud to highlight the views of South African women; their uniqueness, their positive attitude towards themselves, their bodies and their relationships through unpacking some great insights that have emerged,” she added.

Surveying over 7 000 South African women – predominantly in the 25 – 44-year age category – one of the most fundamental outcomes was the fact that South African women are not only "comfortable in their own skin" (94 percent), but love themselves (97 percent), are confident, proud of who they are, as well as of where they come from.

“For as long as one can remember, there is a menial joke that women are ‘never happy with themselves’, but such insight speaks volumes. Most of us are not only happy, but we are decisive and, given the choice, would choose to be a woman. These are such phenomenal insights - those that really demonstrate how women are much more empowered than a decade or few ago,” stated Liese.

Body consciousness and negative body associations have always been a hot topic – something that many brands are fighting to change. And this is true in the celebration of their bodies, where 49 percent say that they exercise regularly (at least 1 – 3 times a week), 1 in 3 are at their goal weight with the rest having recently been on holiday, or had a baby and so have some "work to do". 

And, when it comes to healthy eating, most believe that zero carbs and zero sugar are the way to go, combined with drinking lots of water and incorporating vegetables as a key ingredient to any meal.

When it comes to religion, culture and relationships, statistics indicate that 99 percent of women are proud of their culture and 9 out of 10 have a spiritual understanding/acceptance. 

They believe in marriage (83 percent) – even the divorcees - and indicate that an ideal relationship must provide companionship and must be underpinned by honesty and faithfulness – alongside love. They also value their sex lives with 73 percent stating its importance in maintaining a healthy relationship.

Critically important is that 69 percent of respondents are the main breadwinners in the family and so, having a supportive family is critically important to them with 90 percent demonstrating that this is the case.