The South African Institute of Race Relations (IRR) released its August Fast Facts on Tuesday, and revealed a mixed bag of successes and failures for the women of South Africa.
At household level, the provinces with the highest proportion of female-headed houses are the Eastern Cape (51,2 per cent), Limpopo (49,4 per cent) and KwaZulu Natal (47,4 per cent).
In terms of household tenure, across all race groups, more females than males live in households that they own and have fully paid off. In particular, 65,4 per cent of black females have households which are owned and fully paid off, compared to 46,9 per cent of black men.
The life expectancy of South Africa’s female population fares poorly against other countries. The proportion of female children born in 2015 who are expected to survive to the age of 65 and older in South Africa is 48,4 per cent compared to 65 per cent in Botswana, 50,4 per cent in Mozambique and 60,2 per cent in Uganda. South Africa fares even worse when compared to its BRIC counterparts – in Brazil 84,8 per cent of women are expected to survive to the age of 65 and older, while in China and India, the percentages are 87,2 and 74,3 respectively.
In education however, the picture looks better for women. Females account for 51,3 per cent of the population aged 20 and older who have completed Grade 12, and 52,9 per cent of the population aged 20 and older who have completed post-school education.
Yet, female involvement in the labour market is low. The female labour market participation rate is 51,7 per cent whereas the male labour market participation rate stands at 69,5 per cent. Also, employment in management remains skewed in favour of men, with only 21,4 per cent of females holding positions in top management, for instance.
Electorally it would seem women have a voice in South Africa’s politics. About 54,9 per cent of registered voters are female. Although South Africa has never had a female president, it has one of the highest representation rates of women within Parliament. About 41,7 per cent of South Africa’s MPs are women, compared to 15,8 per cent in Botswana, 17,4 per cent in Ghana and 12 per cent in Nigeria. But it is not only relative to African counterparts where South Africa fares well; in Australia the proportion of female MPs stands at 24,1 per cent, in Germany its 33,3 per cent and in the United Kingdom its 30,8 per cent.
As victims of crime, 54 per cent of adult females and 39 per cent of children tend to be victims of sexual offences whereas adult males are disproportionately more often victims of murder (82 per cent) and serious assault (65 per cent). From 1995 to the present, under 3 per cent of the prison population has been female.
IRR research analyst, Unathi Matwasa, concluded, saying, “While progress can be seen, there is a need for a further upturn in the socio-economic status of women in South Africa.
Accordingly, policy focus should be aimed at a more inclusive economy, including the safety and security of women.”
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