Raihana Amod, founder of FEMME Magazine, notes that women in South Africa face a complex combination of social, financial, and personal difficulties.
Beyond well-known issues such as gender-based violence, safety concerns, and financial inequality, Amod believes that more attention should be paid to the quieter pressures women encounter. These pressures include expectations to achieve career success, meet certain beauty standards, maintain relationships, build families, and do all this as if it requires no effort.
Amod also argues that the media should portray women more multidimensionally, rather than reducing them solely to images of victims, entrepreneurs, wives, mothers, or 'inspirational women.'
As a woman working in the media, she admitted that she herself had to learn how to claim her place and overcome doubts about whether she had enough experience or if her ideas would be taken seriously. Creating FEMME from scratch required her to make decisions, take risks, make mistakes, and learn on the go, which shaped her leadership approach.
She emphasized that she never wants to create an environment where another woman feels the need to prove her right to be in the room. Amod believes that women become stronger when they support each other rather than compete, and she strives to foster a collaborative atmosphere.
Her view of success has also transformed throughout her career. Where success was once associated with higher positions, platforms, and achievements, she now defines it more personally. For Amod, success lies in creating something she is proud of, maintaining a life outside of work, creating meaningful content, and working with good people.
She also sees success in her work and that of her team being able to make another woman feel seen, inspired, or more confident. Amod believes that success does not have to look the same at every stage of life; sometimes it represents growth and striving, and sometimes it is balance, peace, or simply allowing oneself to enjoy what has already been achieved.
For young women starting careers in journalism, publishing, or media, her advice is simple: do not wait until you feel ready. Women waste too much time waiting for enough experience, connections, money, or confidence before putting themselves out there. Instead, she urges young women to start, ask questions, publish their work, make mistakes, and remain open to learning. She also insists that women must create opportunities themselves if they are not available. Her final call is: 'Do not diminish yourself just because you are new to this room. Your voice is your greatest asset; use it.'