Officials acknowledge slow pace in closing workforce gender
Labour officials have acknowledged there has been slow progress in closing the gender participation gap in the workforce.
They are attending the G20 Employment Working Group’s second meeting in Umhlanga, Durban.
They say several factors, including limited labour market opportunities for women, are impeding progress.
G20 representatives had initially set goals in Brisbane in 2014 after seeing that women still faced higher unemployment rates and inequality compared to men.
They aimed to have reduced the gender participation gap by 25% by 2025.
Speaking to Newswatch on the sidelines of the working group meeting in Umhlanga, labour expert Siyabonga Hadebe emphasised the need to step up efforts by seeking alternative ways to closing the gap, including achieving pay parity.
"Participation of women in the workforce is not only about numbers, but it also about pay. So, we say people should be paid equally for work of equal value.
"So, what we find is that women normally don't get paid equally, maybe of the nature of jobs that they do."
KwaZulu-Natal Premier Thami Ntuli says they are tackling the issue.
He says some government institutions have been directed to address the stubbornly high rates of inequality in workspaces.
"We have targets, and we monitor the progress on a regular basis, in particular with different government departments in order to ensure that those inequalities are addressed vigorously."
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