“Through this march, the women of South Africa will say to both the government and the private sector that we demand decisive action to ensure that more women are involved in economic participation,” WoSA spokesperson Staff Sithole said.
“As women, we need to push for a shift in the narrative of our role in the economy. We have to work hard to reshape the ‘victim’ narrative and encourage more women to demand their place in the South African economy,” she said.
Some of the main demands by WoSA include the establishment of an annual gender barometer to measure the extent to which women are at the centre of the South African economy. The organisation further calls for the outlawing of the gender wage gap by making it a criminal offence to pay women less than men for the same job. Another key driver is the need for more funding for women-owned businesses by banks, development funding institutions (DFIs) and other financiers.
“All these demands are aimed at ensuring that South African women get their 51.2% economic dividend,” Sithole said.
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