INTERNATIONAL WOMEN'S DAY BY JESSIE TAYLOR
International Women’s Day
Unlocking economic growth by including women in the workforce
I
nternational Women’s Day takes place in March every year and is a time to reflect on the role women play in society and how they can be empowered further. One of the critical challenges facing women is economic inequality, which hampers economic growth and social change. South Africa ranks 18th out of 156 countries assessed for gender equality in the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Report for 2018. This comes while the country’s economy is at a tipping point, and
greater economic participation by women could unlock the economic recovery needed. The empowerment of women is an integral part of South Africa’s effort to achieve inclusive growth, create jobs and expand economic opportunities for all. WOMEN’S WORK According to statistics published by Stats SA, the South African labour market is more favourable to women than men. Women face additional challenges that hinder them from accessing employment,
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promotions and certain sectors. Men are more likely to be in paid employment than women, and women are more likely to be carrying out unpaid work. The rate of unemployment among women was almost 37% in women, compared to 32% in men, based on 2021 statistics. Women of colour are even more severely affected, with 41% of black women unemployed and 30% of coloured women unemployed, compared to 8% of white women.
