The gender employment gap in South Africa: Challenges for women

South African women have made progress in education, property ownership and leadership, yet they continue to face significant barriers in the labor market. Despite their gains in other areas of empowerment, women's access to equal employment opportunities remains a persistent challenge. As South Africa observed Women's Month under the theme "Empowered Women Empower the Nation," it became clear that improving women's employment opportunities is crucial.

According to the latest labor-market figures, women made up just over half of South Africa's working-age population, but they had a much higher unemployment rate compared to men. The official unemployment rate for women aged 15 to 64 was 37.5%, compared to 30.3% for men, a gap of 7.2 percentage points. Of the 21.3 million women of working age, only about half were in the labor force, with almost two-thirds employed and the remaining 4.4 million without jobs.

The female labor-force participation rate has increased over time, but it remains consistently lower than that of men. In the labor force, women's absorption rate - the proportion in employment - was a third, compared to 44.9% for men. Nearly 9.6 million women were outside the labor force entirely, with roughly 2.5 million representing a potential labor force, either available for work or seeking it but unavailable to start.

The challenge is particularly pronounced among young women, with more than four in 10 aged 15 to 24 not in employment, education, or training, compared to about a third of young men. This disparity in educational outcomes has contributed to the gender gap in employment, with women more likely to be in clerical work and domestic employment, accounting for 17% and 10.8% of women's employment, respectively, compared to 5.8% for men.

South Africa's gender gap in employment is part of a broader global pattern, as estimated by the International Labour Organization. Global unemployment stood at 4.9% in 2025, unchanged from the previous year, with women making up only about two-fifths of global employment and being 24.2 percentage points less likely than men to participate in the labor force. This highlights the significant barriers women face in accessing employment worldwide.