Why degrees fail to protect South African women from unemployment

FEMALE university graduates in South Africa face nearly double the unemployment rate of their male counterparts, highlighting how deeply entrenched gender bias remains in the job market despite educational achievements.

- NICOLA MAWSON

Statistics South Africa's latest Quarterly Labour Force Survey reveals that even a degree offers no protection from the country's gender employment divide, with female graduates recording a 15.0% unemployment rate compared to just 8.9% for men in the second quarter of 2025.

An employment gap persists across all education levels, shattering the myth that qualifications level the playing field for women seeking work in Africa's most industrialised economy.

Women with only a matric certificate face the worst odds, with unemployment hitting 39.3% compared to 31.7% for men - a crushing 7.6 percentage point difference that represents the widest gender gap across all education categories.