Impoverished women
South Africa does not have a single official poverty line. The government uses US$2 a day or R524 a month (2010) per person as a rough guide. Studies has shown that about 61 percent of women live in poverty, and 31 percent live in destitution, compared with 39 percent and 19 percent of men respectively. Women are traditionally the poorest group in South Africa despite being the majority constituent in the population and are more likely to be underemployed and unemployed.
Lower wages
A majority of women lack empowerment in the field of economy. Thus, women and men experience differences in career development. This may be attributed to the biased perceptions of male professionals being "better off", more experienced, or more educated in their field. Women are not respected on the same level as men as they are seen to be holding varied responsibilities - at home and in the workplace. Childcare and maternity leave are also seen as 'distractors' to an working female. Employers thus favour male workers over their female counterparts.
In the South African context, women take up to 4 months of maternity leave. During this period, the employer is not obligated to pay an employee her wages; the employer is only expected to reserve her position in the company and allow for 4 consecutive months of maternity leave. For a woman in South Africa, maternity leave may mean the financial implications of 4 months without income.
In the South African context, women take up to 4 months of maternity leave. During this period, the employer is not obligated to pay an employee her wages; the employer is only expected to reserve her position in the company and allow for 4 consecutive months of maternity leave. For a woman in South Africa, maternity leave may mean the financial implications of 4 months without income.
Differences in Education
Women experience different levels of education and literacy rate from their male counterparts. In most of South Africa, females receive a generally lower education levels than males. Consequently, they are less qualified to be in high-ranking or high-wage jobs that are granted to male peers with higher academic achievements. Besides that, women who have the same educational qualifications as their male counterparts may also receive a lower wage.
Many girls tend to drop out of school at an early age due to unwanted pregnancies, forced marriages at a young age and limited income of the family. Females are frequently considered inferior compared to males. Traditionally patriarchal families (which favour males over females) prefer to invest their limited resources in the education of their sons rather than what they consider 'redundant' education for daughters, whom they perceive will eventually start a family and abandon their professions. Males are considered the 'head of the family' as well as important to bring back the bacon for the family.
The gender disparities tend to increase at higher levels of education as there is an increase in school fees with the increasing level of education. Thus, most South African girls do not receive or finish secondary education. As seen from the table below, the unemployment rates of the population that completes primary education is around 25.25% and that of those who have some secondary education is around 30.13%. Majority of these figures are women, thus the rates of women who are unemployed are high. This can also afffect the society as the disparities between the rich and poor (average income in a year) may increase over the years if this trend continues. The women also face immense stress in juggling the maternal responsbility of looking after her child (children) and the anxiety of providing for the family to fulfil her role as the sole breadwinner.
Many girls tend to drop out of school at an early age due to unwanted pregnancies, forced marriages at a young age and limited income of the family. Females are frequently considered inferior compared to males. Traditionally patriarchal families (which favour males over females) prefer to invest their limited resources in the education of their sons rather than what they consider 'redundant' education for daughters, whom they perceive will eventually start a family and abandon their professions. Males are considered the 'head of the family' as well as important to bring back the bacon for the family.
The gender disparities tend to increase at higher levels of education as there is an increase in school fees with the increasing level of education. Thus, most South African girls do not receive or finish secondary education. As seen from the table below, the unemployment rates of the population that completes primary education is around 25.25% and that of those who have some secondary education is around 30.13%. Majority of these figures are women, thus the rates of women who are unemployed are high. This can also afffect the society as the disparities between the rich and poor (average income in a year) may increase over the years if this trend continues. The women also face immense stress in juggling the maternal responsbility of looking after her child (children) and the anxiety of providing for the family to fulfil her role as the sole breadwinner.
Access to basic needsThe access to basic needs like water, food, shelter and welfare is influenced by unequal gender, race and class relations. Women are very prone to STDs due to the common rape cases occuring in South Africa. An approximate of 127 cases of reported rape occurs every single day. The situation has fortunately improved slightly with a decrease of 9 cases per year. However, the welfare of women are often neglected as they are considered inferior to men. HIV tests are often inaccessible, counseling is difficult to find, and treatment for HIV is nowhere to be found for the women in South Africa. When the greatest risk of infection is young women between the ages of 15 and 25, something needs to be done for these women to ensure that they get the counseling to ease the trauma they face.
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