Women-headed households surge in South Africa - Stats SA

AMID the persistent gender pay gap and the rise in unemployment in the country, more than two-fifths (42.4%) of households in South Africa were headed by women in 2024, Statistics South Africa's (Stats SA) general household survey has shown.

- MANYANE MANYANE

According to the latest World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report, South African women are paid between 23% and 35% less than men.

According to the survey, the situation was most common in rural areas, particularly in the Eastern Cape (48.8%) and KwaZulu-Natal (46.8%).

Women-headed households were least common in Gauteng (37.3%).

The household survey, which provides a snapshot of progress achieved in basic government services and identifies persistent service delivery gaps, was released yesterday.

It found that a third (31.4%) of children lived with both parents, while 45.5% lived with only their mothers.

More than one-tenth (11.7%) were orphaned, having lost one or both parents.