Durban - Throughout history work assigned to women has been viewed as less important than the work traditionally done by men.
Think about raising children as opposed to the work done by a CEO.
Another example of an outdated sexist notion is the one that says "women belong in the kitchen“, despite the fact that most chefs worldwide are men.
While gender roles persist, below are five side hustles that were once seen as traditionally female-only and yet today could make you a buck no matter what your gender.
Make charcuterie boards
A charcuterie board is an appetiser that is often served on a wooden board or stone slab and includes a variety of preserved foods, particularly cured meats or pâtés, cheeses, crackers or bread.
You can use this trendy side hustle to make some extra cash by catering for parties, work functions or intimate get-togethers.
No matter your gender persuasion - becoming known as the “Charcuterie Person” will help you do well in this side hustle. Consider the cost of boards, food and transport when doing your costing to ensure you come out winning. Also consider something alternative on the board that could set you apart from the competition.
Do embroidery
The craft of embroidering involves using a needle to sew beautiful patterns onto fabric. These designs are often created with thread and are made up of various stitches.
It's a traditional skill that was originally used to fix clothing. Clothing was rarely thrown out because it cost so much to make them. Instead, they were repaired.
This grew into more of a colourful aesthetic expression over time. Home-made clothing is a niche market but is very in demand because it is more environmentally friendly than fast fashion.
Consider also up-scaling second-hand clothing with some beautiful embroidery to resell or even doing embroidery on cushion covers. Find a style that becomes your signature style and go forth and conquer.
Start a cleaning service business
Sanitation is crucial to humans. We inhabit this planet with innumerable micro-organisms, some lethal. The Covid-19 pandemic can attest to this.
Cleaning services can be very useful to busy households, restaurants and more.
If you set yourself apart from your competition, you can make a lot of money through this side hustle. Consider becoming the go-to place for post home renovations clean ups or for those moving to new places and needing to give their old and new homes an extra shine.
Bake speciality cakes
Bartolo “Buddy” Valastro Jr does not have to be the only cake boss. If you have got the skills or if you are simply interested in this trade, go for it.
You can work your way through learning the basics and eventually master it. There is money to be made in creating speciality cakes for birthdays, weddings, graduations and other occasions.
You could even offer your services to restaurants that are known to cater to special functions. Leave your business card all over town.
Be a make-up artist
Nowadays, every celebrity, influencer and their cousin has make-up brands. This is a huge billion-dollar industry. You can get your piece of the pie by providing a service or tips/tutorials on how individuals can apply it themselves.
Set your prices competitively, advertise your services on social media, and you will be ready. Ensure your tools are sanitised.
Setting up the kit can be costly however you could soon cover these costs when you get going. Consider also offering your services for those who want to spice up their date nights with some good make up.
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