Tomorrow, 3rd December 2020 from 10h00 – 12h00, the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) will be hosting a webinar on Challenges facing women’s economic empowerment.
Over the past few years, the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE) has increasingly focussed its attention on the issue of women’s economic empowerment in general, as well as government support for women’s economic activities, including women-owned business enterprises.
It has become common knowledge over the years that small, micro and medium enterprises (SMMEs) are extremely vulnerable to collapse within the first two years of their establishment. This vulnerability is amplified significantly when these SMMEs are owned by women.
The CGE believes that this high level of vulnerability of women in general, and women-owned business enterprises in particular, is part of the bigger economic context where women are also vulnerable to higher levels of poverty, unemployment, lack of access to economic resources, inadequate financial support services and limited access to loan/credit facilities from government and private financial institutions.
A recent study by PWC on wage pay gap using data from Statistics South Africa showed that 61% of women are underpaid as compared to their male counterparts doing the same job with the same experience and qualifications.
Also, recent statistics indicate that more than 3 Million South Africans lost employment due to the effect of the corona virus pandemic. It is estimated that 2 Million of those, are women.
Through this Webinar, the CGE seeks to highlight the need for women’s economic empowerment in light of how the challenges to women and women owned businesses were brought into sharp focus by the Covid-19 national lockdown.
Panellists are:
1. Ms. Busi Sibeko- Researcher, Institute for Economic Justice
2. Ms. Ntokozo Majola – Acting CEO, Small Enterprise Development Agency (Seda)
3. Dr. Basani Baloyi – Economist, Oxfam
4. Dr. Nthabiseng Moleko - Deputy Chairperson, Commission for Gender Equality
Moderator
Adv. Nthabiseng Sepanya Mogale, –Commissioner, Commission for Gender Equality
The Commission is convinced that the deliberations from the Webinar will assist the country in developing appropriate policy and programme interventions to overcome some of the key challenges facing women’s economic empowerment in South Africa.
Contact person:
Javu Baloyi
Cell: 083 579 3306
