Prioritising communication is effective in balancing home and work

Faculty of Law: Professor Sue-Mari Viljoen - Rising Star

As a specialist in Property Law, Professor sue-Mari Viljoen is deeply engaged in the links between housing law, land reform and property law in south Africa. Her work is focused on both doctrinal issues as well as more theoretical concerns she is grappling with as she finalises a book, co-authored with Prof G Muller, titled Property in Housing, which will be published by Juta. At the same time, she is also working on several presentations that deal with the Expropriation Bill of 2020 and the expropriation of underutilised land at a cost of nil rand.

She credits her family for helping her manage the workload during the pandemic. “I have a good support structure, which allows quality time to work and maintain some balance. I prioritised time with my family and I tried to work as effectively as possible. Having young children often meant working late or early hours of the morning. Good communication among family members is vital to maintain effective working hours.”

But, of course, she is keenly aware that the burden of coping falls disproportionately on women in our society. “I think that women, but especially caretakers (of children, elderly persons and persons who require forms of assistance) were affected in a more profound manner than men, simply because their care-taking duties could not be shared by others; they were forced to undertake such responsibilities themselves.

“Women in academia who are caretakers were disproportionately affected, because they had to undertake certain additional responsibilities such as educating their children.” However, she is quick to acknowledge that many men suffered under an increased burden, too. “This does not mean that a large percentage of men working in academia were not affected.”

Thinking back on the biggest challenges she experienced during 2020, Prof Viljoen notes that her main obstacle was accessing printed materials. “I also struggled to work efficiently from home, while having to take care of my children. I managed to access books directly from the publishers, and I also “I have a good support structure, which allows quality time to work called on peers to assist where necessary. I found assistance from a caretaker to look after my children during parts of the day, especially in the mornings.”