INDEPENDENT NEWSPAPERS

Picture: Antoine de Ras

Women are not as active in the economy as they should be because of the high adult unemployment rate in the country, an economist has said on the eve of Women’s Day.

“The big problem isn’t women, the problem is we have the lowest adult employment rate in the world outside of a war zone,” said economist Mike Schussler, as the country prepared to celebrate National Women’s Day today.

“We are in a very bad shape, for both men and women.”

South Africa had done well to empower women on the political side, but lacked on the economic side, with 40.5 percent of adults not working.

There were many initiatives by the government to empower women, but Schussler expressed doubt that they were working.

The government’s theme for Women’s Day focuses on the economic empowerment of women.

The ANC called on South African businesses to speed up the empowerment of women. It expressed “great concern” over the “slow pace” of empowering African women in the workplace – they account for only 0.8 percent at top management level.

“The ANC calls on captains of industry to redress this huge imbalance by speeding up women empowerment, particularly that of the previously disadvantaged,” spokesman Jackson Mthembu said.

“Although much has been done to empower women, the struggle for women emancipation remains an incomplete project if choices women have to make are primarily influenced by their economic status.”

The Gender Commission agreed. Spokesman Javu Baloyi said the government had accomplished much in its bid to empower women, but the private sector had to come to the party.

The government’s New Growth Path, announced by Economic Development Minister Ebrahim Patel last year, had included women and was progressive, he said, but the private sector has to (join the initiative).

The National Education, Health and Allied Workers Union (Nehawu) said women should now take up the fight for economic freedom as they were hardest hit by the inequalities.

“Women constitute more than 50 percent of all unemployed people in this country. They also constitute a majority of all casual/contract workers in the country,” said Nehawu spokesman Sizwe Pamla.

“Those in rural areas suffer triple oppression – they are victims of gender, racial and economic oppression.

“Nehawu salutes all women of this country. We call on all of them to take the baton from the previous generation that sacrificed for political freedom and wage a fight for economic emancipation of women.”

International Relations Minister Maite Nkoana-Mashabane said the problem of climate change could not be solved without empowering and educating women.

“Women produce up to 80 percent of the food in the developing world as here in South Africa,” she said.

In all the wars in Africa, women were on the frontline of picking up the pieces, and were the carriers of development, ensuring the survival of communities.

“In Africa, women do 90 percent of the work of gathering water and food,” she said.

President Jacob Zuma, accompanied by Women’s Minister Lulu Xingwana will mark Women’s Day in Polokwane, while Gauteng premier Nomvula Mokonyane will launch the Provincial Policy Framework, aimed at furthering women’s interests, at the Union Buildings today. - Natasha Marrian