WORKPLACE
women occupied 44 of every 100 jobs nationally. They accounted for more than half of employment in personal services, accommodation, food and beverages, and retail, but had their lowest representation in construction, mining, transport and storage, and the motor trade.
Occupation creates a second divide. In the second quarter of 2026, clerical work accounted for 17 % of employed women and 5.8 % of employed men, while domestic work accounted for 10.8 % and 0.5 % respectively. Managerial positions were held by 7.1 % of employed women, compared with 10 % of employed men.
The employer creates a third layer. Two people can work in the same sector and perform similar kinds of work, yet earn different amounts because one company pays at a higher level across its workforce.
These divisions reinforce one another, says Prof Linda Meyer, managing director of Rosebank International and a visiting professor at Nelson Mandela University. Sector, occupation and employer can place workers on sharply different earnings paths, allowing disadvantage to accumulate.
The gap grows across working life The study found that the difference between the average pay levels of women ' s and men ' s employers was small in their early twenties, but widened considerably from the mid-twenties to the mid-forties.
Where women work shapes what they earn The earnings divide runs through three levels of the labour market: industry, occupation and employer. Each can place workers on a different pay trajectory.
The first divide is between industries. Bassier and Gautham found that women entering formal employment were disproportionately concentrated in lower-premium sectors, including education, retail and personal care. Men were over-represented in higherpremium industries such as construction, mining and manufacturing.
The pattern remains visible in current employment data. Statistics South Africa reported in August 2026 that
Women changed employers about as frequently as men, but their moves were less likely to take them to betterpaying companies. Women returning to formal work after unemployment or informal employment also tended to enter lower-paying firms than men. The researchers describe this as a problem of where women land when they move or re-enter, rather than simply a reluctance to change jobs.
The widening occurs across many of the years in which people raise children. The research does not establish that care responsibilities cause the divergence, but South Africa ' s unequal distribution of unpaid work makes the timing difficult to dismiss. Stats SA reported that in the second quarter of 2025, women accounted for 2.1 million – or 88.2 % – of the 2.4 million people outside the labour force because they were homemakers.
sabusinessintegrator. co. za 75