Gender pay gap deepens in South Africa

DESPITE all the advances that society has made towards gender equality, the facts show that women in South Africa are still significantly “less equal” than men.

- JASON WOOSEY

According to a recent report compiled by Discovery Corporate, women earn 24% less than men on average, and this gap widens as females get older, likely as a result of fewer promotion opportunities.

While it is somewhat encouraging that the pay gap is as low as 10% among those women under the age of 35, it widens to 20% in the 35-44 age group and 30% among those aged 45-64, after which it deteriorates to 39% among those aged 65 and over.

This pay disparity has significant implications that also extend beyond the working years, as the same report also showed that women, on average, retire with 21% less in the way of assets than men.

However, not only are women's careers deeply impacted by unequal caregiving responsibilities, with research showing that 43.4% of children live only with their mothers, but they also face widespread discrimination in the workplace.