Gender equality in the private sector is an economic and moral imperative

In 2024, women held 36% of board positions in the JSE Top 40 companies

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Representation of Women in Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) Top 100 Companies

As we observe International Women's Day, it is essential to shine a spotlight on the state of women in South Africa and the systemic issues that continue to impede their progress.

The World Economic Forum Global Gender Gap Report (2025) highlights that there is still a combined global average gender gap (measured for 148 countries) of over 30% across four critical dimensions: economic participation and opportunity, political empowerment, educational attainment, and health and survival, and it will take 123 years to reach full parity globally.

Globally, Iceland continues to lead, having closed 92.6% of its gender gap and holding the top spot for sixteen consecutive years. Sub-Saharan Africa ranks sixth globally, with a gender parity score of 68%.

Within the region, Namibia stands out at 81.1% (8th globally). South Africa, at 76.7%, ranks third in the region but 33rd worldwide, reflecting both progress and persistent gaps.

Women worldwide earn approximately 77 cents for every dollar earned by men (UN Women, 2025), highlighting a persistent global wage gap and biases, as women with children earn less than half of their childless counterparts (Columbia University, 2024). In addition, women do 60% more of unpaid labour - from cooking, cleaning, fetching water and firewood and taking care of children and the elderly, women bear a disproportionate burden of unpaid work across the world, thereby limiting the time available for participation in paid work (UN Women, 2016).