Women bear brunt of SA's job crisis: Mashatile calls for bold action
Speaking at the opening of the P20 Women's Parliament in Cape Town under the theme accelerating equality, sustainability and shared growth, Mashatile said while South Africa has made progress in women's political representation, the battle for full gender parity remains far from over.
'We can no longer allow gender inequality to plague our society and hold back the potential and contributions of half our population. We must work hard to ensure that policies, programmes and initiatives aimed at economic development prioritise gender equality and transformation,' he said.
Mashatile said women still face disproportionate economic barriers. The latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey shows the unemployment rate for women at 35.9%, nearly five percentage points higher than the 31% for men.
Women also remain concentrated in lower-skilled or semi-skilled jobs with men almost twice as likely to hold managerial positions.
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