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08 April 2021 | Story Nonsindiso Qwabe | Photo Sonia SMall

How has COVID-19 further widened the gender inequality gap in the workplace?

This was the central question addressed during the first instalment of a webinar series on Gender and Social Justice hosted by the Unit for Institutional Change and Social Justice at the University of the Free State (UFS). The webinar, which was hosted on the UFS Qwaqwa Campus on 29 March 2021, featured Prof Pearl Sithole, Qwaqwa Campus Vice-Principal: Academic and Research; Advocate Nthabiseng Sepanya-Mogale, Commissioner at the Commission for Gender Equality (CGE); and Tholo Motaung, skills trainer, moderator, and gender activist at the Vaal University of Technology as panellists. 

Prof Sithole said COVID-19 revealed the disparity that still exists between men and women in the workplace. “COVID-19 has been the magnifier. We’ve modernised quite a lot, but we’re still unequal in terms of gender. Why are we not progressing in terms of women moving forward towards equality when there has been so much progressive thinking in the political space, social justice space, as well as in the kind of feminism we have had in academia? Why are we actually not winning the battle of just regarding each other as equals?” 

Women hardest hit by COVID-19 lockdown

Advocate Sepanya-Mogale said the lockdown revealed the gender gap mostly through the significant impact it has had on South African women.

In 2020, 34% of the country’s workforce comprised women – a sharp decline of 9,8% from 43,8% in 2018.
“This decline is alarming and a clear indication of who becomes the first victims, but that is hardly talked about. A lot of women have experienced resistance from industries they had been serving diligently,” she said. She said women were often faced with the burden of integrating their work with increased care responsibilities for their children and sometimes also the elderly as primary caregivers. The double responsibility placed on women continues to re-enforce gender roles in our societies and further pushes away the success of closing the gap on gender equality prospects in our society.

Advocate Sepanya-Mogale said women were the hardest hit in most industries. In the beauty and tourism industry; air transportation; informal trading; and healthcare sector to name a few, women bore the brunt the most. “Women are the biggest employees on all economic levels in South Africa, especially the low-income and unskilled levels,” she said.
She said as the spread of the virus was likely to continue disrupting economic activity, all sectors of society needed to get involved and play their part.

“As disease outbreaks are not likely to disappear in the near future, proactive international action is required to not only save lives but to also protect economic prosperity. Academic institutions are authorities in terms of opening up new discussions, leading new debates, and putting critical issues at the centre of the table. Let us all do what we can so that we empower our people relevantly for the times we’re living in.”

News Archive

Kovsies oorheers Cheetahs-span
2004-10-22

Altesaam 13 huidige en oud-Kovsies is ingesluit in die Cheetah-span van 22 spelers wat sal meeding om ‘n plek in die span wat hierdie naweek teen die Blou Bulle op Loftus Versveld te staan sal kom in die eindstryd om die Curriebeker.

“Die Universiteit van die Vrystaat (UV) is trots op sy rugbyspelers en beskou hierdie mylpaal as net nog ‘n toonbeeld van ons verbintenis tot die handhawing van gehalte sportprestasies,” sê prof Frederick Fourie, Rektor en Visekanselier van die UV.

Prof Fourie is dit eens dat die UV hierdie naweek bankvas agter die Cheetahs sal staan sodat die Curriebeker weer Vrystaat toe kan kom.

“Dit is nie aldag dat ons kan spog met so ‘n groot verteenwoordiging in ‘n provinsiale span nie. Elkeen van hierdie spelers het homself bewys as ‘n ware sportman en meeste van hulle is ook Springbok-rugbyspelers, wat die eer vir die UV net nog soveel groter maak,” sê prof Fourie.

Die huidige en oud-Kovsie spelers is Naka Drotské (haker); CJ van der Linde (vasskop voorry); Boela du Plooy (slot); Gerrie Britz (slot); Henro Scholtz (flank); Juan Smith (flank); Jacques Claassen (senter, agterlyn); Barry Goodes (senter, agterlyn); Frederich Lombaard (vleuel); Rhyno Gerber (vasskop voorry); Gutro Steenkamp (losskop voorry); Johan Erasmus (agsteman) en Noël Oelsich (skrumskakel).

CJ van der Linde en Juan Smith was ook ‘n finaliste in vanjaar se Kovsie Sportman van die Jaar-toekenning.

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Media Representative
Tel: (051) 401-2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@mail.uovs.ac.za
22 October 2004

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