In South Africa, there are more than eight women who are homemakers and outside the labour force for every man, according to Statistics South Africa.
In the second quarter of 2025, 2.1-million women were homemakers. These women weren’t in the labour force earning a salary. They were outside it.
Even among women who are looking for work, they’re more likely to be unemployed than men, according to 2026 Q1 unemployment data, 36.4% of women were unemployed compared to 29.6% of men.
Even when women work full time, they are still participating in unpaid care work.
A 2022 report found that before the Covid-19 pandemic, women in South Africa spent around 30.5 hours on unpaid care work per week, compared to 12.2 hours for men.
It’s an unjust system that women continue to sustain despite the efforts women have made to overturn unjust laws as South Africa commemorates 70 years since the Women’s march on the Union Buildings.
