Akani Mkansi and Hamadziripi Tamukamoyo Insight Women lagging way behind in gender equality
The International Labour Organisation (ILO) states that the labour force participation rate for women globally is 48.5%, which is 26.5 percentage points below that of men.
It further notes that for every 10 men who have jobs, six women are unemployed.
It is not surprising then that in South Africa young women face higher unemployment rates as compared to other population groups; or that there are fewer women in the top positions in business for instance.
Economic empowerment of (young) women is crucial to achieving poverty eradication, gender equality, and inclusivity. In the workplace, the barriers that restrict women – including young women – from fully participating in the economy include gender inequality and marginalisation in terms of access to opportunities for upward career mobility.
Goal number eight of the sustainable development goals aims for growth, inclusivity and decent work that is equally accessible for both women and men.
South Africa’s employment equity act calls for women to receive the same com pensation as their male counterparts under the “equal pay for work of equal value” principle.
In the second quarter of 2017, the Quarterly Labour Force Survey (QLFS) showed that representation of women in influential positions was still below the 50% mark.
This in a context where they are half the total population of the country.
For instance, in the private sector in South Africa only 13% of positions in senior leadership are held by women.
Even in these influential positions women were underpaid. This twin challenge – being underpaid and underrepresented – is global.
The ILO notes that globally women are underrepresented in leading positions, whether in elected offices, the civil service, the private sector or academia. According to United Nations Women investing in women requires an approach that will strengthen and support their leadership.
Government and the private sector are introducing measures to increase the share of leadership positions for women through legisla tion, regulation, governance arrangements, and new policies and approaches. The National Development Plan (2030) calls for the transformation of the economy to involve the active participation and empowerment of women. The ILO avers that the full and effective participation of women in the workplace requires equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decisionmaking in the political, economic and public spheres.
According to the ILO women, particularly young women, are susceptible to working in low quality and low paying jobs. These jobs include domestic work, tellers in the retail sector and shop-floor workers in the textile sector.
Women are also concentrated in the informal sector of the economy which offers them limited chance of economic progress.
In this sector it is challenging to access capital and technology for instance.
Also, workers in the informal sector are rarely compensated for overtime and have limited access to health insurance, maternity benefits and parental leave.
Evidence shows that having women in leadership positions has a positive impact on governance, reputation, financial success and it encourages other women to become leaders.
Indeed, non-discriminatory policies that address gender inequality and allow more women opportunities to lead are essential in the workplace.
In addition to equality, policies should treat men and women equally in recruitment, hiring, training, and promotion.
Programmes that target recruitment of young women into employment and provide training increase their labour force participation.
Through equal opportunities and support for further education they can advance their careers and rise to positions of leadership.
The labour market outcomes for women workers need to be enhanced – for instance, improving the working conditions and benefits in the informal sector and ensuring gender equality in the formal sector.
Women and men in influential positions have to take the lead in pushing for change.
Across all sectors, places of work have to be free from all forms of abuse, violence and prejudice against women.
Survey showed representation of women in top positions was still below 50% mark