The status of Free State women participation in the Labour Market

Abstract

Balancing work and family remains a paramount challenge for women, not only in Free State but around the globe. Although women labour force participation has been on a rise, it still considerably low relative to men. This paper analyses the status of women participation in labour market in the Free State for the period of 2013 to 2021. On the first quarter of 2021, almost half (48 percent) of Free State working age women were not economically active while the other half (52 percent) were economically active. The paper suggests ways of how to improve the stance of the economically active women, and also recommends ways to encourage women who are outside the labour force to be economically active. Women are over-represented in low-skilled occupations and less secure employment (informal sector). The disparity becomes worryingly large in managerial roles where their male counterparts are said to occupy more than 70 percent of these positions