The Minister of Economic Development, Mr Ebrahim Patel, has called for the increased participation of women in the mainstream economy.
Speaking at the Women's Parliament in Cape Town today, Minister Patel said while the country's gender policies have been an area of clear success in the democratic era, South Africa still has a long way to go in the area of gender equality.
"The empowerment of women is an economic imperative. The productive sectors of our economy are the engines that drive economic development, and these are areas where women have been largely absent".
When women participate in greater numbers in the mainstream economy, economic development accelerates.
Statistics show that women, particularly African women, continue to lag behind in terms of the numbers employed, as well as the pay received, for those in employment. In 2012 almost 2 million fewer women than men had income-generating employment. In 2010 - the latest available data - an African woman with a degree still earned less than a white man with only matric. In addition, 46% of men work in the productive sectors plus transport and construction, compared to 20% of women. Women also make up only 4,2% of executive directors of listed companies.
Read more at All Africa, published 30 August 2012.
The Minister of Economic Development, Mr Ebrahim Patel, has called for the increased participation of women in the mainstream economy.
Speaking at the Women's Parliament in Cape Town today, Minister Patel said while the country's gender policies have been an area of clear success in the democratic era, South Africa still has a long way to go in the area of gender equality.
"The empowerment of women is an economic imperative. The productive sectors of our economy are the engines that drive economic development, and these are areas where women have been largely absent".
When women participate in greater numbers in the mainstream economy, economic development accelerates.
Statistics show that women, particularly African women, continue to lag behind in terms of the numbers employed, as well as the pay received, for those in employment. In 2012 almost 2 million fewer women than men had income-generating employment. In 2010 - the latest available data - an African woman with a degree still earned less than a white man with only matric. In addition, 46% of men work in the productive sectors plus transport and construction, compared to 20% of women. Women also make up only 4,2% of executive directors of listed companies.
Read more at All Africa, published 30 August 2012.