National Women’s Day

 National Women’s Day arrives as South Africa grapples with mounting economic hardship and persistent inequality. The statistics are sobering: 35.5 per cent of women are unemployed, compared to 30.7 per cent of men, and 39.8 per cent of black African women are without work – the most affected demographic in the country.

Among young people aged 15–34, the youth unemployment rate sits at 46.1 per cent, re­flecting a deepening crisis of opportunity, as reflected in Statistic South Africa’s Quarterly Labour Force Survey Q1 2025. At the same time, gender-based violence remains one of South Africa’s most devastating and under-addressed issues.

In the year ending March 2024, 5 578 women and 1 656 children were murdered – figures that place South Africa among the countries with the highest femicide rates globally (SAPolice Crime Stats, Q4 2023/24). Despite national outcry and policy responses, violence against women and children continues unabated, with many survivors left without meaningful support or justice.