‘Women still more likely be in bottom half of income distribution’: Oxfam SA

Women and girls remain the lowest-paid workers under “the most precarious conditions”.

This is according to Oxfam SA's report titled “An Economy for the 99%”‚ which was released in Johannesburg on Monday.

“There are significant gender differences when it comes to the winners and losers of the growing income gap‚ with women more likely to find themselves in the bottom half of the income distribution.

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“Worldwide‚ the chances for women to participate in the labour market remain almost 27 percentage points lower than those for men‚” says the report.

Dr Asanda Benya‚ a sociology lecturer at the University of Cape Town‚ said women‚ particularly those who work in mines‚ are paid less than their male counterparts.

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Benya said social norms dictate how women are treated in the workplace.

“Women in the mines are not allowed to stay in hostels. They are expected to travel to work every day.”

– TMG Digital