By Jessie Taylor
Despite making up a large portion of the working-age population and having a significant contribution to make to the economy, women and people from marginalised genders remain underrepresented in positions of authority and power.
The Gender Series Volume IX: Women Empowerment, 2017 to 2022 report released by Stats SA showed that “women in South Africa are more likely to be unemployed than men and are less likely to participate in the labour market than their male counterparts”.
The report found that despite the number of females in the working-age population exceeding males, their participation rates in the labour force remained lower at 50.7% in 2022 compared to 63.2% for males.
The report highlighted that there are still gender disparities despite the progressive laws and interventions aimed at women’s empowerment.
“Empowerment of women is core to South Africa’s processes of sustainable development. Leaving no one behind means addressing multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination and inequalities,” Stats SA said.
Among the challenges faced by women and non-binary individuals in the workplace include discrimination based on their gender identity, which can take the form of prejudice, harassment, or unequal treatment. Pay disparity has also recently been highlighted as a major concern.