The position of women in the South African labour force: an overview

Abstract

The empowerment of women is often cited as a key factor in the economicadvancement of a country, as the skills of all citizens are utilized. Forthis reason, the improved position of women has been put forward asone of the millennium development goals. In South Africa, the pastdecade has been characterized by a marked increase in female labourforce participation. However, it has been debated whether this has beenaccompanied by true socio-economic empowerment for women. Thisarticle aims to give an overview of the current position of women in theSouth African labour market. Comparisons to other countries as well asan analysis of trends were made. The following issues were addressed:the extent to which South African women are participating in the labourforce and how they are situated within the labour force.