Half A Nation Excluded: We Demand Equal Opportunities & Equal Pay For Women

GOOD Statement by Brett Herron
GOOD Secretary General & Member Of Parliament

31 August 2022

NOTE: This speech was delivered today during a debate in the National Assembly regarding Women’s month.

Much of the focus of this Women’s Month has – rightly – been on the scale of the problem of gender-based violence perpetrated by men against women in South Africa.

Among the key stimulants of this violence is the level of gender inequality in our society. Women are less likely to hold leadership positions than men, they are less likely to be employed than men, and those women who are employed usually earn less than men.

These inequalities, combined with men’s relative physical strength – and the pressures placed on men to be strong men – reinforce the notion in the patriarchal society that women are intrinsically less valuable than men.

While turning gender discrimination and the objectification of women around, sustainably, will take time – like turning the Titanic – there are things we could do tomorrow to begin to achieve more balance.

These include addressing the many challenges women continue to face with regard to equal opportunities and treatment in the labour market.

Those women fortunate to have a job are not just paid less than men but are often excluded from growth opportunities and particular positions.

The recent Quarterly Labour Force Survey found that astaggering36,8% women were unemployed, compared to 32,4 % of men. As usual, by far the worst off were African women, of whom 41% were without jobs.

Men occupied 66,9% of managerial positions in South African businesses, the survey found.

Excluding people with talent and potential from occupying positions on the basis of gender is just as bad as excluding them on the basis of colour, religion or culture…

Government is aware of the number of single mothers and breadwinners out there. Living on the edge.

Poverty and food security render women more vulnerable to abuse and exploitation.

Victims of gender-based violence are often economically dependent on those who abuse them, trapping them in a spiral of violence – too afraid to speak out, they shut up and endure.

South Africa has made some progress in promoting gender equality, but far from enough.

We must do more to integrate women into local and national politics, and into senior positions in the civil service.

The GOOD party calls for equal pay for equal work. When we empower women, we empower families and communities.

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