Minister of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities, Sindisiwe Chikunga, has called for urgent and targeted action to dismantle long-standing structural barriers that continue to marginalise women in economic and social spheres.

Speaking at the G20 Women Empowerment Working Group, Chikunga emphasised three critical priorities for South Africa: financial inclusion for women, recognition of the care economy, and the fight against gender-based violence and femicide.

In a frank and impassioned address, the minister highlighted how conventional financial systems continue to exclude women, particularly when it comes to access to credit.

“If you’re going to ask for collateral to access credit, yet women historically haven’t owned property, you’re excluding them from the start,” she said.

“That is not just a gap, it is a structural injustice.”

Chikunga said her department has been engaging financial institutions, including major banks, urging them to design financial products that account for the lived experiences of women.

“We’ve asked them to create tailor-made solutions that don’t assume a level playing field when clearly, one doesn’t exist,” she added.

She also turned the spotlight on the unpaid care work overwhelmingly carried out by women in households and communities, from looking after children and the elderly to cooking, cleaning, and providing emotional support.

While this work forms the backbone of society and enables the formal economy to function, it remains undervalued and largely invisible in economic policy.

“Without someone ensuring that meals are cooked, uniforms are ironed, and children are cared for, the formal economy would come to a standstill,” said Chikunga.

“The care economy is the silent engine of our societies, but it is not recognised, not accounted for, and certainly not rewarded.”

She noted that while some developed countries have begun accounting for unpaid care work in their GDP calculations, South Africa has yet to do so.

Her department is currently drafting national policy aimed at formally recognising both paid and unpaid care work, to secure labour protections, leave entitlements, and economic value for carers, most of whom are women.

She also raised the alarm about the ongoing crisis of gender-based violence and femicide, calling for a stronger, coordinated response at both national and international levels.

Backed by local research from the Human Sciences Research Council, Chikunga stressed that South Africa’s approach is grounded in evidence, not anecdote.

“Gender-based violence is not only a South African problem, it is a global one. That is why we are calling for it to be elevated to the highest political levels within the G20. It must be treated as an urgent priority by all heads of state.”

Minister Chikunga concluded by welcoming the inclusion of gender equality across other G20 working groups, from finance to education and employment.

She said this cross-cutting approach is essential to ensuring that all women, regardless of age, disability, or background, are included in economic and social progress.

“This is about ensuring that women of every generation and every ability are not left behind,” she said. “Only then can we claim to be serious about gender equality.”

mandilakhe.tshwete@inl.co.za 

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