Woman’s Month August 2023 – Equality Newsletter

Woman’s Month August 2023 – Equality Newsletter

Woman’s Month August 2023: Every year in South Africa we celebrate women on 9th August specifically, however the entire month is used to highlight issues relevant to women in South Africa, and to promote equity for women in all facets of life.

The theme for this year is “Women’s Socio-Economic Rights and Empowerment.” This ties in with the global campaign of Generation Equality and global efforts to achieve gender equality by 2030.

Equity is about removing barriers and creating a fair environment. It is about access to education, information, basic care, and health support. Equity is about removing gender bias and creating equal opportunities.

South Africa – Woman’s Month In 2023

Woman’s Month August 2023 – Pay Equality

In South Africa women earn up to 35% less than men for doing work of equal value whilst close to 38% of households are dependent on the income that a woman brings home.

The Gap becomes more apparent because most people in senior positions in business are men, so even if men and women in the same position are paid equitable salaries, the predominance of men in executive positions lowers the overall average for women.

Equity For Women – Starting Their Own Businesses

South African women face numerous challenges in starting, growing, and owning their own businesses.

• Access to finance is difficult as women have less assets and often less access to capital compared to men.
• Many women in South Africa do not own property so they have no collateral for a loan.
• A lack of business training and developmental programmes are barriers to obtaining finance.

Woman’s Month August 2023 – Equity In The Corporate Environment

In South Africa women are under-represented in leadership positions in corporate environments.

Whilst there has been considerable progress in recent years, over the entire executive population of the companies listed on the JSE only 15% is female as of August 2022.

Corporate environments need to ensure that part of their succession planning and senior management development programmes is to identify and mentor appropriate female candidates for progression and advancement.

The Labour Research Service (LRS) Articles – #gender-equality

Equity In The Home

Women traditionally carry out three times more unpaid household and care work than men.

The result is that internationally women miss out on opportunities for education, paid work or simply have any leisure time.

• Gender equality begins at home and examples set within families will shape the gender bias for the younger generation.
• Families should be talking about equality between the sexes, sharing the household and care work, and fighting stereotypes.
• More women are working during the day but still shouldering the largest portion of responsibility for their homes, their children and increasingly caring for older parents or relatives.

Woman’s Month August 2023 – Equity For Women’s Health

Woman’s Month August 2023: In certain societies women have less access to good physical and mental health care.

Women and girls can face high risks of unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted infections, and lack of awareness of breast cancer and cervical cancer prevention and treatment.

Gender based violence in South Africa is increasingly becoming an epidemic. In the first quarter of 2022 there were over 10 000 cases of rape reported (many rape cases are unreported) and the rate at which women are killed by their partners is five times higher than the global average.

The reporting, documenting and prevention of gender-based violence is currently a large health challenge. The impact has far-reaching effects that go beyond the violence itself. Not only is it a cause of death, disability and injury, women’s health is indirectly affected by contracting HIV, disease, and mental illness.

Sports Equity

There is a lack of representation of women within multiple fields and at every level of sport.

It is estimated that women only receive only 4% of sports media coverage. It is important that women secure equal pay, visibility, and sponsorship for their achievements.

Female athletes that work just as hard as male athletes should be getting paid as much as them and they should also have just as much media coverage.

– Mariam Alashmawi

SA Government – Woman’s Day In 2023

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