Today marks the 68th anniversary of the Women’s March of 1956, which saw 20,000 brave women march to the Union Buildings in Pretoria to protest apartheid’s oppressive pass laws. This marked a turning point in the role of women in the struggle for freedom, justice, and equality. The Social Policy Initiative (SPI) commemorates and celebrates the strength and resilience of South African women and their involvement in shaping South Africa’s democracy, and of all women everywhere especially those in war and conflict situations, and Gaza in particular.
While we celebrate how far we have come, we are, however, reminded of the significant problems women still face in South Africa. These include gender-based violence, economic inequality and exclusion, and limited access to healthcare and education, exacerbated by intersectional factors including race and socio-economic status.
6,3 million unemployed women in South Africa carry the burden of unpaid, unacknowledged, unassisted, and unthanked care work. This is despite the duty of the state in Section 27(1)(c) of the Constitution to provide social assistance to all who are in need. 45% of children in South Africa are raised by single mothers. The absence of any significant policy and provisioning of childcare affects the ability of millions of caregivers, 98% of whom are female, from the labour market. Unrecognised care work reduces women’s employability and restricts their ability to participate in the labour force thus limiting their likelihood of realizing their full potential. These barriers take various forms, and they must be tackled if South Africa envisages achieving the ideals of equity, prosperity, as well as shared and inclusive growth.
Moreover, women in townships and rural areas usually start small and micro businesses as income support. However, there is little to no demand to sustain these businesses due to extremely high poverty rates in South Africa, leaving women without any guaranteed income.
The Social Policy Initiative calls for a progressive and inclusive universal basic income of R1 500 per month per person. This would eliminate poverty instantly since everyone would have access to more money than the poverty lines. The grants would be taxed back from the middle and upper classes. This would not only benefit the poor but would also ensure that women are not excluded in the progressive realisation of comprehensive social security mechanisms. SPI advocates for the UBI as a necessary step in addressing these systemic issues.
“The work done by SPI in comprehensive social protection offers a vital policy framework, promoting inclusive measures that provide financial support, healthcare, and education, thereby addressing the systemic inequalities faced by women in South Africa”, said SPI Board Director, Thina Hlope.
Speaking to the point that no human being should have to make trade-offs, Wanga Zembe, SPI Board Director, asserts that “A Universal Basic Income would ensure that women who are primary caregivers do not have to sacrifice their own needs for nutrition, health, and basic hygiene to meet their children’s needs. Based on our research findings we know it would make low-income women feel seen and recognized by the state,”
We must build an inclusive society that addresses the needs of all women and creates an equal and just society.
“At SPI, we work to provide the empirical evidence of the needs of women, to identify the huge gaps in state policies to provide for the basic needs of all through basic income security, and to chart ways in which the state can meet its obligations decently”, said SPI Executive Director Isobel Frye.
Enquiries
Isobel Frye, Executive Director
Isobel@spi.net.za | 084 508 1271
